Twilight doesn't belong to me. I just have fun with the characters.

WitFit Word Prompt: Spice

Highline

Chapter 15

As Edward walked towards me – a big, carefree smile on his face – I almost backed down. He seemed so light and happy, so glad to see me heading in his direction. My feelings about what Jacob had told me were too important to ignore though - this was something I had to do.

"Hey, you." He called out as I got closer. I watched as he licked his lips, reminding me again of our kiss. His stubble was getting thicker with each passing day, adding to his irresistibility. I'd always favored men who were a little rough around the edges, and Edward definitely fit.

"Think we can go somewhere to talk?" I asked, trying to remain neutral. I needed to stay as calm and clear headed as possible. Being in Edward's presence lately made that difficult.

"Um, yeah – sure." He said, looking around for the others. "Sunburst Lake isn't too far. Let me just tell Emmett."

As we walked the short distance uphill to the lake, Edward did all of the talking. He went into a long explanation about the hazards of shortcutting trails and how delicate the soil structures and plant life was off path. I only partly paid attention, instead going over how I was going to bring up my findings to him in my head.

"Why are you so quiet?" he finally asked me, as we cut through the treeline, arriving on the lakeshore. The Sunburst Lake was impossibly beautiful, with a perfect picture of Mt Assiniboine reflected on its surface.

"There's something that's bugging me." I began nervously. I sat down on a large boulder, resting my feet on a smaller one below it.

"Like what?" Edward asked, seating himself next to me on a rock of his own.

"Who's Tanya?" I came right out with it, bracing myself for his reaction. I wasn't one to beat around the bush – the anticipation of what he was going to say was eating my stomach alive. I was ready to get it out there and over with.

"What?!" he stood to his feet so fast, I wasn't completely sure he'd even sat down. "How do you even -" he stopped, running his hands through his hair.

"I was talking with Jacob." I said softly. "He said you two have a history."

"Why the hell would he bring her up? I should go back down there and fire his stupid ass." Edward spit out, clearly aggravated. He had his back turned to me and was kicking at a baseball sized rock with his boot.

"Leave him alone – he's just looking out for me." I was surprised by his strong reaction – unsure quite what to think.

"How? By filling you with town rumors like an old biddy would? I know what people think. I'm not some kind of predator or something, Bella. I thought you'd maybe get that. Give me a fucking break."

"I'm not accusing you of anything!" I yelled, angry with him for jumping to conclusions. "I just think that with the way things are going between us, I deserve to know if you're involved with someone else. Jacob seemed to think that you are!"

"I already told you that I'm not."

"Then why are you acting like this is a huge deal? I just wanted some answers!"

He finally turned to face me, his expression harsh. "Because everything single thing I ever do is under a microscope. Banff is a small place. People think they know everything about everyone and they don't." He continued, his face looking more and more defeated. "So whatever Jacob thinks he knows? He's wrong."

"Ok. I believe you." I said softly, in an effort to calm him down. Being the talk of the town was obviously something he wasn't unfamiliar with – I had no idea that it would upset him so much. "But can't you just tell me the whole story?"

"I can." He sighed, sitting back down on the rock next to me. "Me and Tanya had a friend's with benefits thing. We've always been on the same page with that regardless of what anyone around town thinks. I won't apologize for it."

"Ok then." I said, not sure what else to say. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't feel a pang of jealousy over his confession, but I was also relieved. I didn't expect Edward to have a squeaky clean dating history – I certainly didn't – but I did expect honesty. His explanation seemed completely reasonable.

"You probably think I'm dirt bag." He said as stared down at his boots, his hands back in his hair.

"Of course I don't. If it worked for both of you - whatever. I'm not here to judge you, Edward."

"Well that's a first." He said in disbelief. "Once you get some kind of notoriety around here? You're thrown to the wolves."

"I bet it's hard." I replied, knowing where he was coming from. "Forks is kind of the same way though – I don't think you can escape it. Wherever I go at home – the store, the school, to the bank – someone's always bringing up my dad."

"Do you ever get sick of it?"

"Sometimes." I replied honestly. It felt good to admit it out loud. "I like knowing that he had a big impact on people – that people still remember him – but there are some days where I wish I could just blend in."

"I think we might have more in common than I thought." He said, his voice still low. I gave him a silent nod in response.

We sat quietly for a moment, until Edward's fingers wrapping around my own startled me.

"I'm sorry I freaked out, Bella. I just -" he stalled, carefully choosing his words. "I like you a lot, and that's a new thing for me. I don't want any of the garbage lies and bullshit from my past to ruin this."

"I'm sorry I put you on the spot. Nothing is ruined." I said, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Maybe we should just run away together – say fuck 'em all." Edward replied with a chuckle. His face was lit up with my favorite grin. "If you'd have me, of course."

"I think I'd have you. But where would we go?" I asked with a smile, leaning into him. The tension between us was gone – I felt like a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

"How 'bout Thailand? I'm tired of the cold." He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my head. Being with him like this was so easy, so effortless.

"I could go for some warmth," I sighed, "and maybe a hammock. This trip has used up my travel budget for a while though."

"How many days are you in Banff after we're back?" He asked, staring out over the lake.

"A week. I can't believe the time has gone so fast." It was hard to wrap my head around the fact that we would only be hiking for another two nights. I had no idea what would happen when we returned to Banff, but I certainly hoped that my time would involve seeing Edward.

"A week is good" he said, running his nose along my jaw. He started trailing stray kisses down the side of my neck, and I felt as though I would melt into the lake. "Plenty of time to spice things up."

A/N Thank you for reading and reviewing! I missed replies this time around – I'm sorry! I truly appreciate the kind words and feedback. If anyone reading is handy in the banner-making department and would like to make one for this story, please let me know! See you tomorrow night! xoxo