Burning Up (Jacob Black)

14. Greedy

We passed the fork in the road I'd usually take to get to Jacob's house. We drove for a few minutes more before he eventually pulled over in a seemingly random place. I expected something a bit more industrial than a dirt road, maybe a restaurant or something. I looked out my window to get a good look at the place. Unlike the trees back in Forks, the leaves here were flashes of yellow and orange. It was late January, so way past the fall months. I was unsure as to how this place held onto its autumn colors so well. The trees stood tall, like towering giants. I glanced around at the swaying leaves in awe. I hadn't even noticed that Jacob had gotten out of the car and made it all the way to my side. He opened the door for me and reached his hand out, beckoning me to take it.

"You like?" He flashed his eyebrows. I took his hand and climbed out of the car.

"Yes. This place is breathtaking." I mused, still taking in everything around me. I heard a creek bubbling a few yards away from the dirt road where he parked. He closed the door behind me. Jacob towed me to the trunk before opening it and slinging a backpack over his shoulder.

"I stumbled into this place a while ago when I was picking those flowers for you. I just thought: 'I have to take her here,' the second I saw it." He led me away from the car, down a skinny dirt path in between the auburn trees. "Follow me."

I nodded, still stunned by the beauty around me. Even when it seemed like I had explored every corner of Forks and La Push, new nooks and crannies seemed to be left unseen by my eyes. Red and brown leaves that were soaked in a previous rain covered the ground. Sometimes it would make a crunching sound as we walked if they were in a dry spot. The green moss that plagued the trees contrasted pleasantly against the otherwise warm color scheme. The copper color of the trees seemed to pop out from the light gray sky that reflected its light off of every wet surface. Birds cooed from up in the trees, singing their melodies to welcome us.

It didn't take a lot of walking until there was an opening in the trees. It was like Moses parted them himself. Although my view was largely blocked by Jacob, I could still see that the damp dirt of the forest had abruptly stopped and there was a field of yellow just ahead. He turned around to face me once we reached the clearing. He kept an eye on my reaction as I finally gazed at the meadow.

Tall yellow grass swayed in the wind. It whipped like waves of amber, the crisp sound of the breeze echoing off its many surfaces. The rusty-colored trees made way for the meadow with a circular shape. They crowded the meadow as if they were bending over to get a good look at it. Jake simply huffed, proud of himself, and led me further into the clearing. The grass rubbed against my jeans for a few seconds before he stopped me in the center. He took off his backpack and produced a thick, patchwork blanket.

"You ready for the picnic of your life?" He prodded, setting the blanket down. I held the opposite corners to adjust it on the grass.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I quipped back.

Jacob gave me an adoring smile before reaching into his backpack once again. He pulled out a box of cookies from a local bakery in La Push along with two chocolate bars—one milk chocolate and one dark.

"You did all this for me?" I wondered in slight disbelief.

"Of course. Just leave a few cookies for me, though. I'm hungry too." He winked with a sly grin.

"Hey, I'm not that greedy." I huffed. "You're just spoiling me. I'm gonna turn into a brat." I rolled my eyes sarcastically before becoming more serious. Jacob was lying on his side, propped up on his elbow at the edge of the blanket. I scooted closer to him so I was next to him. "But, seriously, thank you so much. This...this is all so nice." I leaned over him and kissed him on the cheek. His eyes fluttered closed for half a second before they opened again and looked up at me.