Chapter 6: Hike

"Can't you just tell me where we're going?" I asked for what felt like the millionth time.

"That would ruin the surprise," Paul said, somehow keeping his patience through all my pestering. We were in his car and he'd been driving for an hour and a half. It had been years since I'd ridden in a car and I felt completely out of my element. Both of us could've run faster than the car's top speed.

"I don't like surprises," I grumbled, crossing my arms against my chest. When he'd called me earlier, he'd told me that he had an idea for what we could do today but he'd refused to give me any details. All he'd said was to dress comfortably, so I'd gone back to the Cullens' house and changed into a cozy cream coloured sweater and jeans with my favourite leather jacket thrown on top.

I'd spent an embarrassing amount of time in front of the mirror, making sure I looked okay before rolling my eyes at myself and throwing my hair up into a high ponytail to keep it out of the way.

"You'll like this one," he promised.

"Doubtful," I muttered. "We'd better not be going anywhere crowded."

Despite the gloomy sky earlier, the clouds had completely cleared and it was a sunny day in Forks. I was grateful for Paul's tinted windows, otherwise my skin would be shining bright enough to blind the other drivers on the highway.

"Don't worry, we're not," he said. He reached out to me with his right hand and grasped my hand, gently prying it away from my chest. As soon as he made a physical connection with me, I felt my entire body relax—not realizing how stiffly I'd been holding myself. "You're really tense about this, aren't you?"

"I told you, I don't like surprises," I said.

"Do you trust me?"

"Surprisingly…yes," I admitted.

"Good," he said. "Because we're here."

He parked his car off the road and on a gravel path leading into a foresty area. I met his eyes and raised a brow. "And where is 'here' exactly?"

"The Olympic National Park," he said. "I want to show you something."

"We're going on a hike?" I asked.

He cut the car's engine and got out, sending a smug grin my way. "Scared you can't keep up?"

"Very funny," I muttered, exiting his car.

We began to walk along the gravel trail, hand-in-hand. The forest was alive with the sounds of wildlife and insects, and in the distance I could hear water rushing through a river. I was grateful for the lush forest as it provided much needed cover from the sun. We hadn't come across any humans on the trail, but I could sense that there were some nearby from the sounds of their heartbeats in the distance.

I also wasn't sure if I was ready to show Paul how my skin looked in the sunlight. As much as I eventually wanted to share every part of myself with him, I had no idea how he'd react to it.

Paul's hand was firm on mine as he led us through the forest, poking fun at me for my initial apprehension to his plans.

"Okay, I'll admit—this isn't too bad," I said.

"We haven't even gotten to the best part yet."

We continued our trek through the forest for another hour until we came to a small clearing where the sun was shining brightly through a large break in the overhang of trees. I let go of Paul's hand as he strode directly into the clearing while I hung back under the safety of the canopy of trees.

This was what I'd been afraid of—revealing what happened to my skin in the sunlight to him. Of course, I was sure that he'd see it eventually, but was I ready to expose myself so soon?

"It's not much farther now," he said, glancing back at me with a concerned look on his face. When I still didn't move, his features softened and I saw the realization clearing his face. "You're not going to burst into flames on me, are you?"

"Nothing like that," I said, voice barely above a whisper.

He approached me and grasped my hand again. "Whatever it is, I promise I won't be upset." When I still didn't move, feet rooted to the spot, he pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. "I'll understand if you don't want to show me—I'll look away while you walk through."

I smiled in spite of myself. "I could get to the other side of the clearing quicker than you could even blink."

"Race you," he challenged, smug grin back on his face.

"Wouldn't be much of a challenge," I retorted. I took a deep breath, making up my mind in an instant. In the car, I'd told him that I trusted him and I hadn't been lying. I needed to prove that. "I'm being a baby. I'll…I'll show you."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "You don't have to—"

I cut him off by shrugging off my jacket and pulling my sweater off over my head. I'd put on a black tank top under my sweater and I felt anxiety creep up my spine, realizing just how much of my glittering skin I'd be showing him. He took my jacket and sweater from me and stepped back into the clearing, giving me the space I needed before showing him how I looked.

I took a deep breath to brace myself. This would be the first time someone who wasn't another vampire would be seeing me like this and I had no idea how he'd react.

I closed my eyes and stepped into the clearing.

His sharp intake of breath nearly caused me to retreat back under the safety of the trees, but when I opened one eye to peek at him, he was gazing at me in awe. Almost immediately, his face shifted from shocked to amused.

"Why are you looking at me as if you're watching a horror movie?" he asked.

"I've never actually seen a horror movie, so I don't know what you're talking about," I said, brow furrowed.

"Oh, we'll definitely have to fix that," he said. Leave it to him to immediately lighten the mood while I was so incredibly anxious about what I was showing him. I anxiously spun my ring on my finger as I waited for his real reaction. He gently placed my jacket and sweater on the forest ground and slowly approached me.

He circled me and I felt his eyes on me as he fully absorbed what he was seeing. He was quiet and I wasn't sure if that made me feel better or worse.

When he stood in front of me again, he raised a hand and gently traced his finger along my cheekbone, down to my jawline, across my collarbone, and down my arm, before holding my hand and turning it in the light. I could see the reflection of my skin dancing in his deep brown eyes as I hesitantly met his gaze.

It was such a soft, intimate moment between us that I hadn't been expecting. I'd half expected him to run screaming from the clearing as soon as the sun touched my skin.

"You're beautiful," he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to my palm.

"I don't really see it that way," I whispered.

"Seriously?"

I nodded. "This just reminds me that I'm not human—that I'm the most dangerous predator there is. Everything about my appearance is meant to draw a human in and trick them into thinking I'm safe."

He was quiet for a few moments as he thought about what I'd said. "I still think it's beautiful."

"I'm your imprint, you have to say that."

He laughed. "At least I'm being honest."

"I expected you to be halfway back to La Push by now," I said.

"But then how would you get home?" he asked, teasing clear in his tone.

"I'd probably still beat you there."

"Doubtful."

"You promise you're not upset?" I asked.

"Why would I be upset?" he asked gently. "It's a part of you. You've seen what I turn into when I get angry—this isn't nearly as scary as that."

I laughed in spite of myself. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I've just…I've never shown someone who wasn't a vampire."

"First time for everything," he said. He pressed another soft kiss to my forehead and stepped away from me to grab my clothing off the ground. He handed me my sweater and I pulled it back on, concealing my glittering arms and shoulders. He held my jacket open for me and I slid it back on, thanking him and grasping his hand again as we continued to trek through the forest.

"Thank you for showing that to me," he said. "I know it wasn't easy for you."

"You have a way of making me feel comfortable," I admitted.

"I'm glad to hear that."

We continued walking and he stopped when we were halfway across a small bridge stretching across a beautiful, crystal clear lake at least seventy feet below us. To our left was a waterfall rushing down some cliffs and to the right I could see the snowy peaks of the mountains in the distance. The lush forest trees bent together over us, creating a canopy over our heads and shielding us from the sun.

"We're here," Paul said, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Sol Duc Lake."

"Oh, Paul, this is beautiful," I said, staring around us. "How did you find it?"

"My dad used to bring me here when I was a kid," he said. "I always wanted to jump off the bridge to go swimming in the lake but obviously he'd never let me."

"Have you done it since you started phasing?" I asked, looking down at the shimmering water.

"Of course," he said. "The guys and I go cliff diving all the time—this is barely a jump in comparison to that."

"Cliff diving, huh?" I asked.

He chuckled. "There's nothing quite like the adrenaline rush you get from it." We were quiet for a few moments enjoying the serenity of the forest and the view, before he said, "How would you feel about going for a swim?"

"What if I told you I didn't know how to swim?"

"I'd say you were lying," he said without missing a beat.

I laughed. "How do you already know me so well?"

"It's a talent."

He let go of my waist and shrugged his jacket off, folding it and placing it on the bridge before pulling off his t-shirt and placing it on the bridge as well. I'd almost forgotten just how muscular he was since I'd only seen him shirtless that first day in the forest.

He noticed me watching him as he began to kick off his shoes and a smile quirked at his lips. "I don't think that leather jacket will do very well in the water."

I rolled my eyes at him before taking off my jacket and sweater and placing them on top of his clothing on the bridge. I kicked off my own shoes and put my socks in them before peeling off my jeans and adding them to the pile of clothing we'd made.

Despite the fact that I was this exposed to him, I felt completely at ease. I'd already shown him more of myself today than I'd anticipated, so it wasn't like I had much to hide at this point.

At least not physically. There were many skeletons in my closet that I planned on keeping locked away for as long as possible. I was sure that his opinion of me would change drastically if he knew some of the things that I'd done…

"Ready?" he asked.

I nodded and climbed over the railing of the bridge so I was standing on the other side with an easy way to dive into the lake. Paul joined me and sent a quick smile my way before diving into the lake. He did it nearly as gracefully as a vampire would and I watched as his body broke the surface of the lake, causing a huge splash.

He emerged from the depths of the lake and grinned up at me. "You're really missing out by waiting up there."

I took a deep breath and followed his lead, diving headfirst into the lake. I felt the air whip around me for an instant before I hit the surface, the water feeling warm against my icy skin. I swam back up to the surface and swam towards Paul.

"That was incredibly graceful," he noted.

"That's what being a vampire will get you," I said. "The water's so warm—it's nice."

He chuckled. "It's warm for you? For me it's nice and cool."

"Polar opposite body temperatures," I teased.

He closed the distance between us and wrapped his arms around me, pressing soft kisses to my cheeks and neck. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled his face close to mine, pressing my lips against his. Our mouths moved together in perfect harmony and his hands moved down to my legs to help hold me more steadily.

At least, I thought he'd done it to hold me more steadily.

I felt his arms tense for an instant before he threw me off of him and back into the water. Immediately, I thought something was wrong—that he'd seen something lurking in the forest and he'd thrown me off of him so he could attack whatever it was. Panicked, mind immediately assuming the worst, I shot back up to the surface and whirled around to face him again.

His laughter was shaking his entire body and it was then that I knew that he'd only done it as a joke. I relaxed almost immediately and fought to stop myself from laughing with him.

"Not funny," I grumbled, splashing him.

"Oh, it was a little funny," he teased.

After that, we spent another hour in the water, splashing each other and joking around. When we were done in the water, we climbed back up to the bridge and gathered our clothes, deciding to return to the clearing to dry off before getting fully dressed again.

We laid down together on the lush grass, the sun bouncing off my bare arms and legs. My wet tank top clung to my skin but I could feel the sun's heat drying it quickly. I rested my head against Paul's shoulder and he ran his hand along the contours of my body, eyes drinking in the sight of my glistening skin.

"I don't think I've ever sat out in the sun for this long," I said.

"Really?" he asked, continuing to trace patterns along my skin.

"I try to avoid the sun as much as possible for obvious reasons," I said. "And it's not easy to find an area this private to just lay out in the sun."

"Well you have my permission to come out here whenever you like," he said, teasing lilt to his voice. "As long as you promise to bring me with you."

"Deal."

We stayed in the clearing for a little while longer before we got fully dressed again and decided to begin the trek back to Paul's car.

We had no way of knowing that our perfect day together was about to be completely ruined.

If only I'd known what was to come, perhaps I could've suggested that we leave the clearing just a little bit earlier to prevent the dark turn the day would take.