Silence Is a Virtue

I awoke to gentle, cool fingers sweeping across my face, brushing my dark hair out of my eyes. I blinked sleepily, trying to make sense of the flashes of colour before me. The comfortable seat disappeared from beneath me and I found myself surrounded by something soft yet solid, a few degrees colder than the air around me. It took me a few moments to realise that Edward was carrying me, bridal style, looking at me with an amused expression.

"Edward! Put me down!" I shrieked, wriggling slightly, not wanting to hurt him. He raised an eyebrow and gently set me down, releasing me for the briefest moment before pulling me close to him.

He pulled a small notepad from his pocket then quickly wrote a message behind me, keeping his arms either side of my waist. He held the notepad up, close to my face.

I apologise, love, only you looked positively heavenly as you slept.

I flushed and covered my face with my hands, leaning against his chest. I felt him shake with laughter and he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. He moved his arms slightly for several seconds, then he carefully turned me around, his chest against my back. He pressed a kiss to my neck as he held his notepad up for me to read his message.

Would you like to proceed? It's only a short walk from here.

I whined.

"Just my luck. I'm so tired!" a yawn escaped my lips, nicely accenting my words. He shook with laughter once more, then wrote another message. I watched the words form on the paper, this time, marvelling at how smoothly his hand created the elegant, cursive writing I was so used to.

I'd be glad to carry you, sweetheart, but I'm afraid you might slap me.

"Oh, shut up." I giggled. He stepped away from me, taking my hand. He looked at me expectantly, wanting me to follow. It was then that I noticed our surroundings.

We were surrounded by thick forest, the sunlight filtering down through the branches high above us and glittering on the grass beneath us. There was a trail to the right of the car, but Edward wanted to travel through the forest, an invisible route to the left. I frowned.

"Can't we take the trail?" I pouted. He smiled and shook his head, gently pulling me towards the fringe of the forest.

We walked for a long time, so deep into the forest that the sunlight almost completely disappeared from our sight. I stumbled more times than I could count on my fingers, but I never fell, as Edward always caught me, the same teasing smirk on his beautiful face.

Really, the forest was quite pleasant. I could hear the faint sound of birdsong, the gentle swaying of the branches above us, and the footsteps of Edward and I. In fact, it was like heaven on earth, in this beautiful environment, walking with the most amazing person there has ever been.

After a while, though, I became a little impatient.

"Edward, will we be there soon?" I asked him as he helped me step over a fallen tree. He nodded, his fingers sweeping my hair behind my ear. I couldn't understand the look in his eyes when they rested on me - I could see the same adoration in his eyes as I felt for him.

A few more minutes passed, and I saw an opening in the trees, a bright light illuminating the space we were approaching. My pace quickened, and Edward allowed me to walk ahead, releasing my hand.

I burst through the trees into a wide, open space, almost a perfect oval, not a single tree daring to enter this abnormally beautiful place. It was a meadow, dotted with wildflowers of every colour. The grass swayed in the breeze, and the sunlight was untamed over the area, not a tree or a building to block the rays of light from beating down on the grass.

I walked forwards, gazing around in awe, until I reached the centre. I turned around to see Edward was behind me, smiling expectantly at me. He pulled me into his arms and held up the notepad, a message already written.

I hope you like it. It doesn't seem as beautiful with you here to compare it with.

I blushed. We sat down together, opposite eachother, our hands linked between us. Edward's eyes were on my face, mine were gazing at the clear sky.

"I think I'm in heaven." I murmured. Edward smiled, reaching up to touch my cheek. I leaned against his hand, blushing slightly once more. He wanted to say something, I could see it clearly on his face. He seemed to be struggling.

"What is it?" I said gently. He leaned towards me, dropping his hand to hold mine in my lap.

His gaze became intense.