(Thomas POV)
A week slipped by faster than I expected.
School settled into its usual rhythm, papers, quizzes, group groans when Mr. Banner assigned another lab write-up. Bella was still grounded, though Charlie had loosened the leash by exactly one hour. Edward drove her to and from the house every day, and she walked the line like a parole officer was timing her steps.
The Cullens, or at least the three currently enrolled, cut their schedules close. They hadn't missed a day so far.
Until today.
I should've known something was off the moment I pulled into the parking lot and saw Edythe standing by the covered bike rack with her backpack slung over one shoulder. She wasn't moving toward the entrance like she usually did if we arrived separately.
She had stayed with Alice last night to hunt, and I missed her when I woke. Maybe I was just overthinking things, and she was waiting for me.
She was watching the sky.
The sky, which currently held faint whisps of clouds that even I could see were being slowly burned away by the sun.
Forks never looked like this unless the universe was trying to be funny.
I parked and walked over. "Well. That's ominous."
Edythe gave me a tight, ironic smile. "Alice saw the weather shift last night. She said it would probably be a false alarm."
"Probably?"
"Mm." She lifted her hand, letting sunlight catch the edge of her fingers, careful to keep them in the shade of the bike shed. "She was wrong."
I glanced at the sky again. "So that's it? Sudden vacation day?"
"Not a vacation," she corrected. "Just… strategic invisibility."
Before I could respond, Alice appeared at her side in a blur, tugging her hood up like she was dressing a reluctant child. "Go. Get. Out. Before someone decides today is the day to pay attention."
Edward materialized behind them, his expression strained. "Bella isn't thrilled about missing a day of group biology."
Alice rolled her eyes. "If she wants to stare at your face that badly, she can do it after Charlie goes to bed and you sneak into her room like usual."
Edythe stepped closer to me, lowering her voice. "I really wish I could stay, but there is too much danger if I do."
"It's only half the day, I am sure we can handle the short separation." I said playfully
Her eyes softened. "We'll meet up after school?"
Alice interrupted with a little groan. "Actually, no you won't. It's going to be like this all day. If any of us are going to be out and about, it needs to be away from normal eyes."
Edythe gave her a look. "I had plans today, Alice."
"Sorry," Alice chirped, "I can only see the weather, not control it."
Edward sighed. "We better get moving, the little cloud cover that's left is fading fast."
Edythe muttered something very un-lady like under her breath.
I stepped closer. Close enough that she tilted her chin up in that way she did when she expected me to kiss her. "We'll figure something out," I said. "I'll pick you up at your parent's house after school." Then I gave her the kiss she was unconsciously asking me for.
Her shoulders eased. "Alright."
Alice dragged her back toward the trees. Edward followed with a final regretful glance at the school building, as if mourning the biology class he couldn't attend.
By lunch, the entire school knew the Cullens were "out sick," which in high school meant:
They're probably hiking, or on a yacht, or secretly royalty.
Bella was fine until she wasn't. Around fifth period, she slumped across her desk and declared, "This is ridiculous. One day of sun and Forks High loses half its population."
"Pretty sure half the population doesn't sparkle," I muttered under my breath.
She snorted into her notebook.
When the last bell rang, I walked out to the parking lot and pulled out my phone.
One text from Edythe.
Edythe:Where do you want to go?
I stared at the screen for a minute, the sunlight warm on the back of my neck.
Where do I want to go?
The answer was immediate.
Me:What about the cliffs? The spot you showed me once before.
Me:Even in the sun, it is off the beaten path. It'll be safe from prying eyes.
A pause.
Then:
Edythe:Let's meet at the ball field, I'll be there in twenty. Bring the truck. And… maybe a blanket.
A blanket.
My heart kicked hard once, steady, focused, as my hand drifted, unbidden, to the pocket of my jacket.
The ring wasn't there.
Still hidden at home.
Waiting.
But just the idea of a blanket, the cliffs, sunlight, her…
Yeah.
Maybe this was it.
Not necessarily the moment, but the place.
The right place.
Me: Okay, but it will take me longer to get there so don't rush. See you soon, love.
I locked my phone and headed for the truck, pulse steady and loud in my ears.
It was time.
That thought ran through my head again and again as I drove home to collect the requested blanket and the ring box. I need a casual excuse to stay in my human form, since she usually carries my clothes when I shift. Can't take the chance the feels the box and gets curious.
My mind was still running in circles when I pulled into my driveway. I went straight to the drawer that held the ring and pocketed it, then went to the closet for a blanket. For having skin nearly the texture of rock, she sure did enjoy a soft blanket.
I paused in the quiet of my bedroom, blanket in one hand, ring in my pocket, heartbeat climbing just a little faster than usual.
One minute I was solid and purposeful.
The next, nerves shot through me in a thousand directions.
What if she thinks it's too soon? What if I'm reading everything wrong? What if I—
I caught myself, dragged in a breath, and shook my head.
No.
This wasn't panic.
This was anticipation.
She loved me.
I loved her.
And this… proposing at the cliffs where she first trusted me to show herself in the sunlight, felt right in a way nothing else ever had.
I locked up, walked back to the truck, set the blanket on the passenger seat, and closed the door.
Then I rested both hands on the steering wheel and let the moment settle.
Today.
It was going to be today.
And for the first time, that didn't terrify me.
It felt like stepping toward something I'd been moving toward my entire life.
I turned the key in the ignition.
Time to go meet Edythe.
The clearing was sacred ground for the Cullen family, the place where they could move without restraint and without fear.
Meeting there meant something.
The blanket was on the passenger seat.
The ring was in my pocket.
My heart was trying to crawl out of my chest.
Normal. Totally normal.
When I pulled into the clearing, she was already there, standing in the shade near the tree line, hood down, hair catching just enough light to glow without giving away the secret under her skin. She wasn't pacing or anxious. Just… waiting. Patient, calm, as if the whole day had shaped itself around this moment.
I cut the engine and climbed out, blanket over one arm. The forest swallowed the truck noise quickly, leaving only birdsong and wind threading through the cedars.
Edythe met me halfway, her steps soft on the mossy ground.
"You made good time," she said, her voice carrying a quiet warmth.
"I knew you would be waiting," I said. "So obviously, I rushed."
A faint smile tugged at her mouth. "Of course you did."
We stood close, close enough that I could see the tiny flecks of gold in her eyes even in the shade. She looked… lighter today. As if the sun had stolen some of her tension when it rose.
"I figure we should walk, enjoy some time together in nature." I said, nodding toward the narrow trail at the far end of the field.
"Ready?" she asked, slipping her hand into mine.
Her fingers were cool, familiar, grounding.
"More than ready," I said.
We walked toward the trail that led deeper into the woods, where the trees grew taller, and the ground sloped steadily upward. This was the same route she had led me on the first time she'd shown me what sunlight did to her skin. A path she'd memorized long before I ever knew it existed.
And the cliff we were headed toward?
No one went there.
Too far, too steep, too easy to miss if you didn't know the turns by heart.
Which is exactly why Edythe loved it.
And exactly why it was perfect.
As the trees swallowed us, her pace slowed a fraction, not enough to be noticeable to anyone else, but enough for me. She matched every step to mine, deliberately staying beside me instead of drifting ahead the way she usually did when lost in thought.
"You're quiet today," she said after a moment.
"So are you."
"I had a long morning," she said lightly. "Alice tried to assign me a 'sunny day itinerary.' I escaped before she could pick out a picnic basket."
"That sounds like a very Alice crime."
"Mm. It was. I think that because she can't see what we are doing, she wants to control it vicariously." She laughed and shook her head at the thought.
We walked a few more paces before she nudged me gently with her shoulder. "Are you sure you really want to go up there today?"
I swallowed. "Yeah. I am."
Something unreadable flickered in her eyes.
"I like that place," she said softly. "It always feels peaceful."
"Yeah," I breathed. "It does." I didn't trust myself to say more.
We stepped over a fallen log, the trees parting just enough that a sliver of far-off water shimmered between the branches.
We were getting close.
The ring sat solid and warm against my thigh.
My pulse matched the rhythm of our steps.
And the sunlight above the trees caught the edge of her hair just right, the same way it had the first time she showed me her secret.
Perfect.
The right place.
And today, maybe… the right time.