Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to its respective owner.


There are seven lights on the ceiling in my bedroom, with three softer ones. The balcony is closed, but the curtains are pulled apart. The bed is too soft, or not soft enough; the pillows are too hard.

The colorful lights that are reflecting off of the glass door remind me of Edward. He's the reason I can't sleep.

I can still smell the spearmint on his breath, the calming scent of his aftershave...

I peel away the sheet cover off of me, running a hand through my hair.

The knock on the door startles me. If Renee or Charlie needed me, they would've used our connecting door; who else could be knocking at midnight?

"Edward?"

He's holding his blazer by the crook of his finger over his shoulder, the tie that wasn't there before loosened. His hair is in more of a mess than I'd ever seen.

"I couldn't sleep," he offers.

I cross my arms over my chest, the silk gown light in shade doing little to cover up my hardening nipples.

"And I wanted to apologize."

I cock up an eyebrow. "For?"

"For assuming things, and being a presumptuous ass. I hope I didn't wake you up."

"No . . . I couldn't sleep either."

He leans against the door panel, his face much closer to mine now. I detect a hint of whiskey.

"Wedding jitters?"

"Something like that."

He stays silent for mere moments, his eyes holding mine captive. My breathing speeds up as I realize he's so close to me that I can grab his shirt and pull him to me and he wouldn't even know it until our lips have collided together. I can easily imagine how good his hands would feel on my recently neglected skin-especially that crooked finger moving in that same motion between my le-

"Come on a ride with me."

"What?" I ask stupidly.

"You're not sleepy, so come on." He grabs my hand, pulling me out of the room.

"Wait, wait! I have to change first."

"You don't have to; I like that." I don't have to see his face to know he's wearing a cocky grin. He lets go of my hand regardless, and I make a point to close the door before hurrying to change into some leggings and a comfortable sundress.

He grabs my hand again as soon as I'm out the room. Everything is dead silent, and we try to walk on the tips of our toes stealthily. A giggle erupts from my mouth at the thought of even doing something like this; I've snuck out during nights before, but never with someone else.

We freeze as the elevator dings to a stop just before us, and Edward tugs on my hand to the door marked 'Employee Only.'

"We're so in trouble," I hiss out to him, looking behind me to make sure no one sees us.

"There aren't many people here at night."

"How would you know that?"

He shrugs. "It's a guess."

"Do you do this often?"

"Do what?"

"Sneak women out of their rooms and take them through the nearly abandoned elevators?"

We move past some carts and dinnerware, and true to his word, there isn't a soul working right now. He pulls me down towards the stairs, ignoring the empty elevator completely.

"Just pretty ones."

The compliment is lost on me as we run down over fifteen flights of stairs. By the time we're on the ground floor, I'm pulling at my leggings to peel them away from my sticky skin.

Edward hands me a bottle of water, pointing to the fridge when I eye him warily.

"I'm close to changing my mind on this whole operation," I pant out.

He grins sheepishly, his teeth gleaming in the low lights. There's movement sounding from behind the tall carts of dinnerware, and we hurry out the employee exit as I clutch the chilled water bottle to my overheated skin.

He leans back against the brick wall as soon as the door shuts close behind us, laughing with his head thrown back. "I didn't think you'd come with me."

I glare at him. "If I'd known this was your safe way out, I wouldn't have."

"Aren't you afraid your parents will see you gone?"

"You make it sound like it's the first time I've never snuck out." I tilt my head up to look taller, sophisticated against his claim.

He looks surprised. It's kind of insulting. "Show me where you went."

"What if it was to a boyfriend's house?"

"I don't believe that for one bit, Isabella."

I bite down on my bottom lip, tugging on the hem of the short sundress. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

He raises up one eyebrow. "Here?"

I roll my eyes. "Show me your sanctuary, and I'll show you where I used to go every night."

He walks towards me like a predator, not stopping until he's just a breath away from me. "Is that a promise? Because I'll hold you to that."

I hum in agreement, my mouth refusing to cooperate.

His arm wraps around my waist, and he hauls me over the back of a motorcycle. My fingers clutch the seat nervously.

He swings his leg over the front seat, starting up the machine.

I jab a finger into his shoulder blade. "You planned this!"

"No, I'm really a psychic."

I slap his arm.

"Hold on tight."

The first push off is a little nerve wrecking. The way the motorcycle jolts forward and pulls to a stop causes my heart to beat faster. There are scarce lights around, barely enough to see the turns on the road. I'm pretty convinced that Edward's just trying to give me mini-heart attacks in hopes that I'll die before the wedding.

But when we stop at a traffic light on Griffith Park road, he pulls so that my arms are wrapped tightly against the hard of his abs and my chest is flush against his back, and I can concentrate only on what I feel. The purring of the engine under me sends heat through my stomach, and I clench my legs tightly around Edward's hips, the feel of his muscles moving so prominent against me. The wind makes my hair fly behind me, the edges of my dress rippling.

I shut my eyes close when I see the uphill road; it's all curves and turns with the mountain on my left side and no protection on the right. The vision of the machine skidding and us falling down from the top of the hill causes me to grip Edward's shirt more tightly.

"We should've worn helmets."

"I don't have one."

I scowl at the back of his head. He pulls to a stop just outside of the gates to the Griffith Observatory. I can't get away fast enough. He kicks the stand, putting his hands on his hips. "We're not there yet."

My face falls. He looks pointedly towards the hiking trails, the night making it look terrifyingly eerie.

"Oh no."

"Come on," Edward coaxes. "Don't be scared; I'll protect you."

"Hell no."

I start taking steps backwards, but he's faster, and he starts dragging me towards the Mountain Lee Drive trail by my hands. I try to dig my feet into the ground to make him stop.

"I bet it's a view you've never seen before."

"I've done modeling by draping myself over a Hollywood sign. I've seen it all."

"Not the Hollywood sign, though," he counters.

"Na uh. There could be a serial killer hiding up there or tiny little people who'll hibernate us and eat us during the winter!"

"Isabella," he starts, turning to stare at me. He narrows his eyes a little bit, his lips parting, and I'm pretty sure I'll do anything he asks of me at that moment. "It's a beautiful place. I've been here a hundred times, and there haven't been any serial killers or any midgets."

"But-"

"I'll protect you."

"But-"

"Isabella," he sighs heavily. "I'm trying to share a private place with you. Shouldn't that be enough?"

I shut up, pursing my lips. "Fine. Lead the way."

I try not to jump every time we step on a twig, or flinch every time the wind rustles the leaves. It's a clear path, with solar lights on the ground to lead the way and a few lights scattered over the trail. A thin bead of sweat builds up on my upper lip and on my forehead, all the while Edward looks completely at ease.

The hike is silent, except for the times that Edward takes a jab at me and I insult him back to protect my delicate ego.

"Just a little more," he announces, his legs moving faster in excitement. I lag behind, the burning in my calves intensifying.

"I can't."

"You hiked up all this way to give up?"

"Don't you dare start a motivational speech."

"I'll leave you here."

"I left a note in my room that I'm with you. If something happens to me . . ."

He turns back, a shadow on his face; he doesn't look amused at all. "Did you really?"

"No, I didn't," I admit.

He stares at me for a few minutes before moving towards me and bending down. "Hop on."

My mouth drops open. "Are you serious?"

"Hop on before I change my mind."

I look around nervously even though I know we're alone. And then I look at the messy mop of hair and it'll be an excuse to run my fingers through those strands . . .

Decision made.

He hooks his arms around the back of my knees, and jolts me so that my chest is once again pressing to his back. I try not to blush at the thought that he could probably feel my tightened nipples.

Play it cool . . . play it cool . . .

Think of Jasper, the man you're going to marry in a few days.

I lean my forehead against his shoulder as he starts moving, the muscles under his thin shirt shifting with each step. His skin is covered in goose bumps, and I briefly entertain the thought that this strange physical reaction might not be one-sided after all. It's not exactly wrong to be attracted to someone; it's not something you can control.

That doesn't make it right.

I sigh as the internal war continues in my head.

"We're here," Edward announces softly, bending at the knees to let me down.

"Is the view worth the hike?" he asks, a nervous twitch in his hand. I'd so easily asked him to share his spot with me earlier in the night, but I hadn't realized what a big thing it had been until now. He's sharing his private sanctuary with me, a place that was his get away from our exhausting world.

I gasp silently as I turn to take in the view. We're standing behind the Hollywood sign, the closest trail to the iconic letters, watching the rest of Los Angeles bathed in the light of the moon. The sky is endless, a navy blue that stretches until it's swallowed behind some of the larger buildings and houses. Most of the areas are covered in darkness, but the street lights are on and the Interstate 5 Freeway is still surprisingly busy, lending a magnificent sight.

"It's gorgeous," I whisper.

He sits down at the hard edge of the mountain, letting his feet dangle the same way that I'd let mine into the man-made lake back at the hotel.

"It's peaceful, away from everything."

"How long have you been coming here for?"

"For ages."

"I wish I'd known about it back then."

"We didn't really talk, and the general hike turns a different route quarter mile back."

"Why didn't we talk?"

He glances at me from the corner of his eye, one side of his lips tilting up. "It wasn't because of me. I tried to hang out with you."

"I thought you were just waiting for me to embarrass myself."

"Why would you think that?"

"Well, you are two years older than me, and you made fun me of all the time!"

He sighs, letting out a chuckle through his nose. "I didn't know how else to talk to you. I didn't exactly fit into your social life."

"Our social lives were the same, or did you forget the countless balls and parties that our parents pushed us together for?"

"I've never fitted in. I think that's why I left."

"Where did you go?"

"New York, Chicago, Vancouver, and a few places around Europe."

"You could've traveled with your family."

"Then it wouldn't have been about me. Every time I talked to someone, they told me how many expectations they had of me, to take over the family business. I just wanted to do something that made me happy, you know? I didn't want to wonder if Stanford accepted me because of my own merit or because of my father's name."

I look down at my hands. I'd wondered that as well; I'd constantly wondered through my Doctorate program if I'd gotten into one of the top private Universities in America because of my own intelligence and merit or because I am the heir to Swan Corporation. I know how he had felt all too well, except I had an outlet for it all.

I get to my feet, holding out my hand to him. "Come on."

He looks confused. "Where?"

"You showed me yours . . . I'm going to show you mine."


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