-:-
I was restless in the early hours of the morning, unable to shake the strange feeling in the pit of my stomach from earlier. Unsettled, I cozied up to Edward, secretly hoping he would wake as well, but he tiredly grumbled and almost instantly fell back asleep. I couldn't blame him; we'd only gone to bed after one AM, and it was only a few minutes after five. I showered and dressed, and left him dozing in my room before trekking downstairs and attempting to read a book. Eleven minutes later, I gave up. My concentration was shot, except for thinking about the handful of strange things that had happened the day before, filling my head like stubborn glue that wouldn't rub away. At least Edward and I were leaving in a few days. If anything, my mother's 'Family Tofurkey Thanksgiving Engagement Party' sounded relatively normal after the past twenty-four hours.
I bounced my heels, checked the clock (six-oh-four), stared at the ceiling, and flicked a lamp on and off, on and off. This went on for several minutes, and thankfully, before I could start climbing the walls, Tom came wandering in and asked if I wanted to help prep the kitchen for breakfast.
After the veggies were chopped, the eggs beaten, the cheese grated, and the fruit sliced, I helped myself to a bowl of oatmeal, topping it with blueberries and walnuts, and planted myself at a table in the café. Besides Doris' passing hello, the lobby was silent; it seemed everyone else had decided to sleep in. I stared out the window, transfixed as the sun graced the skies. The breeze was gently blowing the fallen ocher and red leaves throughout the parking lot and it was hypnotizing; I didn't even look up when the door's bell jingled.
"Supposed to be a pleasant one today." Mr. Miller's voice snapped me out of my nature trance, and I glanced to the front of the lobby where he was hanging up his hat. "Already quite warm out if you ask me."
I swallowed a bite of oatmeal and smiled. "Oh yeah? That's a nice change."
"It is, it is," he said, walking over and slinging a small leather bag over the chair across from me. He settled himself in the seat and held a large paper cup adorned with a java jacket. "They're saying it'll get up to seventy-four today. Won't last long, I'm afraid. Rain showers are coming about a bit later, so they're saying, but it'll be nice to have some warmth before the cold sets in."
"Fancy coffee day?" I asked, pointing to his cup. I'd never seen him with anything other than a glass of juice or black coffee from the lodge.
"Oh, yes. One of those pumpkin lattes, extra sugar. This old body can't handle dairy so much anymore, but I decided to treat myself today," he said with a contagious grin of satisfaction.
"Life's all about living on the edge, right?" I joked.
"Indeed, missy. You're up early."
"So are you," I pointed out. And I knew exactly where he'd been. "Early walk?"
"Something like that." He sipped his latte and gave a contented sigh. "Just paying Carlisle Cullen a visit."
Well, I hadn't expected him to just come out with the truth like that. I fidgeted, trying not to appear so surprised while also attempting to look oblivious. "Oh," I replied, wanting to kick myself for turning pink. "That's, uh… that's nice."
"Mm," he said. "He's working the early shift, so I thought I'd pop by before he left. He gives me a bit of medical advice on the side, see. Hospitals give me the collywobbles and the insurance companies are like a damn herd of turtles, so he's a kind soul for meeting me elsewhere."
I had to smile. "Pretty convenient. But you're okay, aren't you? You're not sick, right?"
"Oh, don't you worry. He just teaches this old timer to keep up with his old ticker," he said, patting his chest. "So we're both not going to tell him about this cup of heaven or the fact that I'm treating myself to steak and eggs this morning."
Laughing, I said, "I won't tell."
We were silent for a little while and I was glad—surprised, but glad nonetheless—to have an explanation that went with his phone call during the night (never mind that it wasn't my business). Still, that only clarified half of it. I wanted to know why they'd both been talking about Edward.
I eventually worked up the nerve to add, "Edward told me he spoke to you yesterday about maybe seeing Dr. Cullen. He was a little concerned that you might have said something to him already."
After another long sip of his latte, Mr. Miller hummed. "Well, his name was brought up, yes." His expression grew thoughtful. "And Carlisle, like I said, is quite philanthropic. Edward did ask me not to say anything, but all things considered, it was with the best of intentions. Truth is, I was worried about him. About both of you."
There was a hint of unease in his eyes and I began to feel pretty stupid. He was being as honest as he could be, almost as if he'd known that I wanted my mind set at ease. Though, he hadn't a clue that I'd overheard anything the night before, and I had to admit, I'd only heard one side of the conversation. Maybe there wasn't a big mystery—no drama waiting to unravel. Maybe there were just people who cared about Edward, and apparently me, too, and I was just nuts and overdramatic and had seen way too many movies.
I wasn't sure what it was about this place, but lately, my mind tended to run on Soap Opera Digest speed. If anything, I was practically another Golden Girl in the group of old ladies who always gossiped and giggled over Edward and me.
Feeling guilty for being so obtrusive, I quickly said, "No, no. Of course. I mean, I'm only asking because we're leaving on Wednesday. We don't have a lot of time left, so he might not have a chance to—you know, go do the doctor thing. Here in Forks anyway. But he did say he wants to get help," I continued. "Maybe try some medication. After the holiday, I guess he will. We haven't really talked about where we'll be, though."
It was true. Sure, Edward was coming to Florida for Thanksgiving, but afterward? I had no idea if he wanted to stay there with me or go back home. I hadn't thought about that. Why had I not thought about that?
"I'd like to think that you both will be just fine," Mr. Miller piped up, sidetracking me from my thoughts. "I have faith in him, and you too, Ms. Bella. And I only assume so, but I take it you and Edward smoothed things over?"
"We did," I said, using my spoon to scrape the inside of my bowl. "After a lot of talking and crying and apologizing and more talking, yeah. I guess you can say we're back to normal."
"Well, I'm very glad to hear it," he said. "I wasn't about to give up on you two."
I felt gratitude rise in my chest, knowing that Mr. Miller had been a large part of the glue in putting Edward and me back together. Who knew where we would have been without his friendship and wisdom, especially since he had steered both of us back on the same path more than once.
After taking the last bite of oatmeal, I folded my hands and tapped my thumbs. "Not to sound, I don't know, sappy… but you've really done a lot for us, even though you didn't have to. And though it sounds inadequate, thank you. Really. For everything."
"Aw, shucks, missy," he said, waving his hand. "It was my pleasure. I should be thanking you kids for giving an old man some entertainment these past couple of months."
"If anything, we should be giving you a certificate to the nearest masseuse," I laughed. "At least you'll have a nice, quiet, drama-free holiday with us being at the other end of the country."
He gave me a wistful smile, then brought the latte to his lips. "Oh, nonsense," he said after he swallowed. "So, what will you do with this fine day?"
"I'm not sure. I have to go pick up my truck from a repair shop—Edward knows where. Whenever he wakes up, I guess we'll go get it. And since you said it's nice outside, maybe we'll take a walk. Not in the woods, don't worry."
Mr. Miller looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, missy, I believe I might have talked you out of something beautiful."
"What's that?"
"As I said before, these parts aren't so bad," he said, his eyes mild. "And I've been acting like an old fuddy-duddy. I really wish I wouldn't have let myself be so stuffy all these years—I could have enjoyed a lot more of nature. It would be nice for you both to see the trails, the trees. From what I hear, they don't make them like this in Jacksonville."
I raised my eyebrows. "You changed your mind just like that, huh?"
I couldn't help but be a little confused. It was the last thing I expected him to say.
"Well, life is short, I reckon," he explained, glancing out the window for a moment. When he turned back to me, he said, "Don't let an old man spoil your fun. Go see some life. Get your hands dirty."
The smirk on his face made me chuckle. I couldn't pretend that I wasn't curious about those old trails. Edward had been in the woods before, but I hadn't. Plus, taking a hike on something other than concrete would be refreshing. "Maybe we will."
Reaching to the side, he pulled his bag across his lap and dug out his chessboard. "In that case, if you'll be heading out later, how about one more game? I might not catch you in the next couple of days with you leaving so soon."
"Sure," I agreed, smiling. "It wouldn't feel like goodbye if I didn't get my ass handed to me one more time."
Quite honestly, I had missed our morning talks and breakfast together, just the two of us. Not that I minded when Edward would join us, but it was nice to have Mr. Miller's company again like old times. The quiet, early morning quickly blossomed and our 'one more game' turned into two as other guests slowly filtered into the café. After I was checkmated twice, we took a break so Mr. Miller could order his coveted steak and eggs, and then began yet another game.
"You favor the knight," he mentioned as the pad of my finger touched the small white horse.
"It's my favorite piece," I explained, glancing up with a small smile. "Its moves are simple but precise. And it'll sneak up on you if you don't watch out for it."
He tented his hands as I captured his rook. "That's very true. Very true." As I added his piece to my little prisoner pile, a wily gleam appeared in his eyes. "You know what else sneaks up on you?"
I looked up. "What?" Then I promptly gasped as hands came down on my shoulders. I turned, startled, only to be graced with a kiss on my cheek.
And there was Edward. "Hi," he said, grinning down at me before shaking Mr. Miller's hand. "Nice setup, John. Thanks."
"Anytime," Mr. Miller said, amused.
I relaxed against my chair, resting my hands atop Edward's. "Yeah, good call," I told Mr. Miller. "He loves scaring the hell out of me."
"Only because it's easy." Edward gave me one more kiss, and even though I rolled my eyes, I couldn't deny that it was true. "Who's winning?" he asked, looking over the chessboard.
"He is," was my answer, just as Mr. Miller said, "We're about tied."
Edward studied our game for a moment, then pointed to my queen. "Hey, John, if you move the pawn on your left, she won't be able to—"
"Hey!" I cried, smacking his leg. "What are you doing? Get away! Go get coffee!"
Mr. Miller laughed heartily and Edward feigned innocence, playfully adding, "What? I was only telling him how to get your queen."
"Whose side are you on?" I squealed a bit loudly, earning a stare from a lady at the buffet. "Giving hints to the Grandmaster? Don't you think that's a little unfair?"
"If it's any consolation, Ms. Bella, Edward's never lasted more than twenty minutes in one game," Mr. Miller piped up. "You're going on a half hour."
"Ha!" I spun around and poked Edward's stomach. "How do you like that?"
"Well, you've always been much more thoughtful than I have," he said with a smile, in a voice that was sweet and teasing all the same.
"Oh, get out of here," I said, pushing him away. "You're interrupting our concentration."
"Oh, don't worry, I know when I'm not wanted," he said. "I was going to ask Doris to have coffee with me anyway."
"Good," I teased. "Make sure you sit at least three tables away."
Edward leaned down, pressing his face to my cheek. "I love you."
"Yeah, yeah. Now go away so I can lose with dignity."
He chuckled under his breath and walked away, leaving me and Mr. Miller grinning in his wake.
"Well, I certainly will miss you two," Mr. Miller said with a glint of merriment in his eyes.
I sighed contentedly. "We'll miss you, too. But seriously, be on the lookout for a cruise package in the mail. Anyone who can deal with us deserves a vacation."
During the next few minutes, we both studied the board, taking in the battle in front of us. Pieces moved up and down, left and right, a shuffle of strategies and corrections, saves and blocks. I tried not to touch my knight if I didn't have to. I knew it would be a predicted move on my part, but when I finally got the opportunity to use it to shake up the match, I decided to go for it. Once I rechecked that none of his pieces would capture my knight immediately, I placed the little white horse in line to take his king. "Check," I said.
Mr. Miller leaned back and raised his eyebrows. "Is that so?"
I smiled a bit, knowing there was no use in getting excited. He always had a trick up his sleeve, always polite in maneuvering his pieces to overcome mine, and it was never disappointing losing to a pro.
"You might want to take another look," he added.
Huh. I must have been missing something. With a furrowed brow, I glanced down at the board and his options, trying to pinpoint what I'd overlooked, strategizing what I'd have to do next to get out of his way, or—
Wait a minute.
If he moved a cell to the left, he'd be in direct line with my queen, and I'd take him out. If he moved diagonally, he'd be prey to my bishop that was halfway across the board. Everywhere else was blocked. Given the position I had him in now, I hadn't checked him, I'd—
No way.
"No way," I repeated aloud. With wide eyes, I glanced up at him.
"You can say it, missy," he said with a grin.
I let out a breath that was almost a laugh. "Checkmate?" I couldn't believe it. "You're kidding me. You let me win," I said with amused finality.
"Scout's honor, I didn't," he said good-naturedly as he tipped over the ebony king, the sound of its clatter punctuating the moment. "I must say, I'm proud. I've taught you well."
"I seriously don't believe it," I continued, shaking my head. "There's really no way I could have ever beaten you. Are you sure you put in your contacts this morning?"
He guffawed like a cheerful bear and held out his hand for me to shake. "Good game, missy. Well played. Seems my work here is done."
I still wasn't honestly certain that I'd won fair and square, but I shook his hand and snickered. "Thank you. If anything, this gives me bragging rights over Edward."
"Sure does," he said, gathering the pieces into a side compartment in the board and closing it up. "You can challenge him from now on. I'm counting on that little crusader you've got inside you to keep at it."
He said the words with a smile, but I understood the deeper meaning. Even though we had weeks and weeks together, Edward and I had really just begun. We would have more challenges, and we weren't so naïve to believe it would be smooth sailing forever, but I knew what to do now. Leaving Forks would be like leaving a comfort zone. We'd be on our own, more or less, and I'd have to fight for him, and for us. But that was okay with me. He was worth it.
"I'll try my best," I said, feeling warm inside.
Mr. Miller looked almost sentimental for a moment before reaching back into the chessboard. He pulled out my favorite piece and pressed it into my hand, curling my fingers over it. "Keep your white knight, missy. Every girl deserves one, after all."
"I can't keep it," I said, smiling. "How will you play?"
"Like I said, I was a boy scout, Ms. Bella. I come prepared with spares." He patted my back as we stood. "You run along now. You and Edward enjoy your day."
"Where are you heading?"
"Thought I'd pay my kids a visit, see my granddaughters," he said. "The weather's nice enough, and if there was a day to be outside, today would be it."
I smiled, tucking the chess piece in my pocket and stretching my arms. "That sounds nice. I think I will pull Edward out into the woods."
Mr. Miller hummed and gestured over my shoulder. "You might want to wake him up first."
I turned to find Edward sitting a few tables away, his head down on the table like a scolded student, and snorted a laugh. "And he was the one who slept in."
Mr. Miller headed towards Doris' desk as I crept behind Edward's chair. Sure enough, his eyes were closed. I doubted he was actually sleeping, but I still had a perfect chance to retaliate. I silently moved his full coffee mug so he wouldn't knock it off the table and leaned over, close to his ear.
Grinning foolishly, I jabbed him in the side and gave a childish "Rah!" He bolted upright and I quickly stepped back to avoid being hit by his head. "Sorry," I giggled, standing behind him and roping my arms around his neck, pressing my cheek to his. "I couldn't help myself."
He let his breath out and leaned back. "I had that coming, huh?"
"Payback is my specialty. Plus, you were about to start drooling on the table." I pointed to his coffee. "I think you'd better drink that."
"It's decaf. I'm trying to cut back on caffeine."
"Looks like it's going well," I teased.
"Yeah, it's wonderful. In a few more hours, you'll witness my tears of withdrawal."
"Trying to warn me that you'll be cranky today?"
He shook his head and reached for the sugar. "I just can't wake up."
"There is a thing called sustenance, you know."
"I had a muffin," he said through a yawn. "But if I spontaneously fall asleep later, I promise it's not personal."
I kissed his cheek and walked to the other side of the table, amused at the amount of sugar he was adding to his cup. He never took sweetener in his coffee. This would be fun to watch if he got a sugar high.
"So, did you solve the big mystery of the midnight phone call, Nancy Drew?" he asked as I slid into a chair.
"Oh, that," I said, leaning my chin on my palm. "Everything's fine. I was just being a drama-hungry whore." He'd just taken a sip of coffee and I smiled as he struggled to keep it in his mouth. I still got a kick out of saying ridiculous things whenever he was drinking. "I'm kidding. I'm back to normal."
"Normal? You? No such thing," he said, swabbing under his lip. "Maybe a cross between quirky and theatrical."
I snorted, stealing another sugar packet out of his hand. "You're lucky you're pretty."
He almost got a chance to retort, but a muffled ringing cut him off. With a sigh, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. After looking at the screen, he scowled and pressed a button, then set the device on the table. "Some jerk won't stop calling me. The number's private and they won't talk."
"Huh. Since when?"
He rolled his neck, looking uncomfortable. "Early yesterday, I guess. It's why I snapped at you when you called before. I thought you were whoever this is."
"Weird," I said. "Any heavy breathing? It could be Jessica."
He managed a half-smile. "My number's unlisted. Only a few people have it."
"It's possible, though. She used to work here. And if Doris had it written in one of her books, then you might be screwed," I said in mock seriousness. "Remember what she did to my sweatshirt? I swear, once you came back, I was scared I was going to walk into the kitchen one day and find a poor boiled bunny."
Edward shook his head. "Well, if she's actually that crazy and it is her, then thank God we're leaving. But I don't know. The whole thing gives me a bad feeling."
"Maybe it's a wrong number. Someone who just can't take a clue," I offered.
"Well, they've heard my voice and I've asked who the hell they were looking for countless times. And they must know my name because I have it in my voicemail greeting, but in the messages they leave, they don't say a word." He rubbed his eyes and put his head down, groaning softly. "Seriously, I slept all night and all I feel like doing is going back to bed."
"Maybe you got too much sleep. Or yesterday could have just worn you out." He hummed appreciatively as I trailed my fingers through his hair, then locked his hands around my wrists when I pulled back. "Keep going, please," he mumbled.
"Right, so you can fall asleep on me," I said, tugging on the strands. "Mr. Miller said it's really warm out. Want to go for a walk? Get your blood flowing?"
He shrugged one shoulder, indifferent. "Maybe."
Maybe wasn't a no, so I stood up and tapped on the table. "Let's go get some air. It'll wake you up."
Edward reluctantly sat up and took a few sips of coffee, then promptly cringed. "Or this will. It tastes like a marshmallow Peep crapped in my cup."
"No wonder. You put four sugars in there," I said with a snort. "Come on." I took his hands and pulled him out of his seat. "I'm going to go grab my coat just in case my Floridian skin wimps out in the seventy-degree weather. Want yours?"
He stretched his arms and grinned. "Do I have to remind you where I'm from? Seventy feels like summer."
"Well, Mr. Miller said it might rain later. And it's colder in the woods," I said, gently pushing him toward the door.
He looked at me strangely. "Is that where we're going?"
I just smiled and walked toward the stairs. To be honest, I was a little excited. Not that Edward and I didn't have the privacy we wanted, but it would be nice to go off by ourselves. I hadn't been on a nature hike in a while and had forgotten how much I loved to explore the trails, wander through the trees, and stop to cross little brooks and climb rocks. Plus, I now had legs of steel from trekking up four flights of stairs every day, so I wasn't worried about exhausting myself early on.
When I entered my room I went to take my jacket from the desk chair where I usually kept it, only to find it absent. Puzzled, I searched the room, lifting up bags and the bed sheets—even checking to see if it ended up in the bathroom—but it was nowhere to be found.
"Huh," I said aloud. I knew I'd been wearing it the previous night, and we hadn't gone back to Edward's room. Maybe I'd left it at the restaurant. Only I could have sworn I'd left wearing it; it had been cold outside, after all. I grabbed my zip-up sweater from my suitcase and shrugged it on, still confused, and started back downstairs.
Outside in the parking lot, Edward was talking with Mr. Miller. They both turned to me as the door's chiming bell sounded. "Shh," Mr. Miller said with a glint in his eyes. "Here she comes." I gave a playful eye roll, and he added, "I was just telling Edward, here, that you're the new Grandmaster."
"Yeah," I said cheerfully, sidling up to Edward's side. "What do you think of that?"
"I think he let you win," he answered teasingly, putting his arm around me while Mr. Miller chuckled.
I scoffed, giving Edward a mock glare. "Well, that's just… I mean, I do, too, but he hasn't let you win yet, so consider me your ultimate challenger, okay?"
"She doesn't give up easily," Mr. Miller said, taking my hand and looking at Edward. "You'd do well to remember that, boy."
I felt Edward squeeze my shoulder a bit. "Oh, I already know," he said, glancing down at me. He had that look in his eyes—the one that told me that if we were alone, he'd be kissing me.
The moment was broken by his phone tolling from his pocket. Edward huffed as he looked at the screen. I was certain that if he had the ability, he would have breathed fire. "I swear to God," he growled.
It could only be the unknown caller. "Just turn it off," I suggested.
"Telemarketer?" Mr. Miller joked, smiling.
"Edward has a stalker," I filled him in. "Probably a certain girl who used to work here. Starts with J, ends with Essica?"
Rhymes with crankwhore?
Mr. Miller's smile suddenly disappeared. For a second, I thought I might have spoken aloud, but his eyes weren't on me. "How long have they been calling?" he asked Edward.
"Since yesterday morning and it's been almost nonstop," Edward said, annoyed, as the phone continued to ring. "I'm about to pick up and say things that would embarrass a convict."
Surprisingly, Mr. Miller held out his hand. "May I?"
We both stared at him for a beat, curious, but Edward handed the phone over. Mr. Miller didn't waste a second before answering and bringing the cell to his ear.
"Hello, this is Mr. John Howard Miller, to whom do I have the privilege of speaking?"
Edward and I watched him in silence, and I listened carefully, trying to hear if a distant voice would respond.
Nothing.
"Ah, the shy type, are you?" he went on. "Well, please note, if you're trying to reach a specific party, they are no longer in possession of this phone. You'll have to deal with me from now on and I can talk all day—more than a drunken fool, I can."
I pressed my lips together, holding back a giggle.
"Are they still there?" Edward asked quietly.
Mr. Miller gave a short nod. "I suppose if you're going to play along, then perhaps I might pass on some information. Harassment of any kind, even in silence, is crossing a line. Once these lines are crossed, there are consequences."
And then there was a moment, such a fleeting one that I wondered if I imagined it, where I saw a sliver of angry, deep hatred in his eyes—one that made my blood chill.
"Someone once told me 'Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up'. I suggest you heed that advice and leave everyone alone."
With that, Mr. Miller ended the call and took a breath, gazing hard at the screen. In the next moment, his face softened and he appeared like his normal, pleasant self as he gave us a small smile. "Forgive me, I have no patience for such monkey business. I hope they'll leave you be."
Edward took his phone and pocketed it, looking at him with a sort of awe. "Thanks, John. That was some interesting advice."
Mr. Miller chuckled. "Ms. Bella may be familiar."
I raised my eyebrows. "Me?"
"Well, rumor has it that Mr. G. K. Chesterton implied it in 1929, but those of us who knew Professor Frost knew he was the true origin. After all, good fences make good neighbors*. " He winked at me and continued, glancing at the skies, "I'll leave you two to your adventures. You should have plenty of sun before the storm rolls in."
"If we can even see any in there," I said, pointing to the woods.
"Oh, I'm sure Edward can show you something beautiful, all right," he remarked, giving Edward a wink as well.
"I'll do my best," Edward said, nudging my arm. Whatever that meant.
Mr. Miller took a few steps toward the drive that led to the road and smoothed his tie, reaching out to give my hand a squeeze and Edward's a shake. "Well, then. Have fun, kids. Promise me you'll take care of each other."
"Right. No bear dens," I said to Edward. "I promised him."
He chuckled and waved to Mr. Miller, and I did the same. "See you later, John."
"Bye!" I called, watching Mr. Miller smile, turn on his heel, and make his way down the gravel road.
"So, we're really going in the woods?" Edward asked, swinging our hands. "Why don't we go pick up your truck? We can walk there."
I'd forgotten about that already. "Oh," I said, sort of disappointed. "Can't we drive over when we get back? Mr. Miller got me in the mood to see the trails."
"Am I the only one who thinks it's strange he's suddenly gung-ho about us heading in there?"
"No, I definitely think it's weird. But then again, what hasn't been strange in the past couple of days? I'm trying not to think about it." I pulled his hand and headed toward the back of the lodge. "Besides, it'll be fun to do something different. Let's go be outdoorsy. Then later when we meet Angela and Ben, we'll tell them we saw Bigfoot or something."
Edward stopped walking. "Oh, wait. Ben's not feeling well, actually—he sent me a message earlier. They want to know if we can postpone dinner until tomorrow or Monday."
"Oh, yeah, that's fine," I said, frowning. "I hope Ben's okay."
"If he's got Angela looking after him, I'm sure he'll be fine," he said. "But, uh… since we no longer have set plans, why don't we just turn around and go spend the day in bed?"
I laughed at his smirk. "We just did that yesterday."
"We went out later," he protested. "Bed still sounds good, doesn't it?"
"Not before dark. I'm restless."
Suddenly, it was like pulling an iron statue. Edward playfully resisted my tugging, stopping frequently to draw me back into his arms and lock me in his grasp. "C'mon, Bella, they're just trees. Green and green and… green. Nothing spectacular."
"Hey, watch it," I said, acting wounded. "You're hurting the corner of my heart that's reserved for Robert Frost and your eye color. I'm going in the woods with or without you."
"Are you sure you don't want to just stretch out on the hill? It's private back here. We could… I don't know. Make out a little."
I snorted. "I can tell by the look in your eyes that if you so much as lie down for two seconds, you're going to curl into a ball and try to nap. Don't think I don't know you by now."
"I won't sleep," he insisted, resting his hands on my waist. "I just want to be close to you. You know, before I'm drugged up on anti-anxiety pills and get celibate."
"Oh, stop," I said, chuckling. "Look, we can do it every hour on the hour if you want, but take a walk with me first."
Edward sighed heavily as I pulled him closer to the tree line. "Tick-tock, Bella. That's the sound of your sex life disappearing."
"Or maybe drugs will have the opposite effect on you and my sex life will just be beginning."
We bantered back and forth as we entered the clearing and eventually ended up walking amid thick stalks of trees and greenery, our feet leaving shoe prints in the dirt trail. It seemed like a normal patch of woods—nothing I couldn't have imagined myself—but after a few bends, the path seemed to stretch and cultivate into beautiful scenery. A backdrop of colors painted the forest in various greens, reds, oranges, and gold yellows, and a rich brown meandered through in branches and bark and earth, creating a novel environment. The air was cooler under the cover of the trees and smelled fresh and earthen, like breathing the air of untouched land, unmarred by society. Just rustic wind and dewdrops and purity.
Besides the rustle of the breeze and quiet snaps of twigs, along with the distant sound of chirping birds, Edward and I were mostly silent, taking in the surroundings and simply commenting on how nice it was. We walked for a while, slowly but steadily, and I borrowed Edward's phone to take pictures of thin, moss-covered trees that snaked and tangled together to form a large point, a tree that had lost all but one red leaf, one of us, and (my favorite) a petite, wooden bridge over a stream.
"How long do you think this has been here?" I asked, running my hand over the archaic wood and staring down into the lightly churning water. I could see our garbled images in the clear, babbling creek.
"It seems old," Edward answered, and I saw my reflection suddenly grow a pair of bunny ears.
I turned to swat his hand, but he was faster and ended up lifting me to sit on the edge of the handrail; the added height made me as tall as he was. I wrapped my legs around him to make him come closer. "I like this view," I told him. "I don't see as much nose hair up here."
Edward laughed and suddenly tilted me backward until I was hovering over the water. "Maybe if you were nicer, I'd pull you back up," he teased as I playfully shrieked.
The breeze picked up, blowing my hair and passing through my clothes, and I gave him a smirk before letting go of his hands and falling back. I didn't go very far, seeing as I still had my legs around him—that, plus he grabbed my waist and cried, "Bella, Jesus!"
I cackled mirthfully and stretched my arms, closed my eyes, and filled my lungs with fresh air.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Pretending I'm flying," I said with a grin. My sweater's hood flapped below me like a little cape. "I used to do this to Charlie all the time. When I was still small enough, he'd set me on his shoulders and give me rides. He learned to lock his hands around my legs since I'd let go and lean back all the time."
"No wonder," he said, amused, tightening his grip on my back.
"I just love this feeling. You can feel the wind everywhere—up your back, through your hair, your fingers. Like being airborne. It's freeing. I would always pretend I was floating on clouds, sun tanning in the sky… at least until my stomach muscles gave out and I would just hang upside down and giggle. When Charlie wasn't calling me 'Bellie', he called me 'Monkey.'"
I took a few more moments of "flying" before my abs started to burn as expected. I opened my eyes and smiled up at Edward, who was watching me reflectively, the corner of his mouth set in a small, upward curve. When I reached out my hand for help, he grasped it and pulled me up.
"I love these little things about you—your quirks and memories," he said, his voice as tranquil as our surroundings. "You light up when you talk about them, you know. You make everything feel familiar, even when I'm learning them for the first time."
I gave a quiet laugh. "You're kind of romantic under that complex exterior, aren't you?"
He simply stared at me for a while longer with the same satisfied smile, then rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. We both know my impervious cool points are below sea level."
"Your cool points? Might I remind you of the times I spoke poetry to you?"
"I do, so it's safe to say that you started it and it's your fault I'm so damn sentimental."
He leaned in for a quick kiss and lent me a hand when I hopped down from the rail. The wind blew harder and dried leaves sprinkled from the trees in a colorful rainfall. I loved every bit of it.
"It's so pretty here," I said, unable to help shivering a bit. "Although, I wish the sun would find more of a way in."
"I can fix that, actually. Want to see something?" he asked with a sudden sparkle in his eyes.
I nodded, of course, and he took my hand and led me across the rest of the bridge. Instead of continuing to follow the leaf-covered path, he studied the line of trees to the side before steering us off course. When we reached two skinny tree trunks that leaned over each other to form an 'x', there was a space of sorts—an off-beaten trail—and he led me toward it, deeper into the woods.
"Uh, I did promise Mr. Miller we wouldn't go looking for wild animals, you know," I reminded him, glancing over my shoulder and watching the little bridge disappear from sight.
He chuckled. "Just trust me."
-:-
*Mending Wall by Robert Frost
