We were in a heavily wooded area. There was a small path clear of trees, just enough for a vehicle to edge through. The truck idled on a patch of dirt, trampled by constant passersby.
There was no 'parking lot'. Perhaps two to three more vehicles could squeeze in this little circle, but no more. To the right of the truck, I could see the barest trace of a trail winding it's way into the woods.
"Umm...Jacob, what are we doing here?" I asked, unsure of the current situation.
"Relax, I just wanted to show you something." he said, a smile on his face.
He hopped out of the truck, and walked to the passenger side, opening the door for me. I just sat in the vehicle, still buckled up, staring at him questioningly. He sighed, still smiling.
"Come on, Bella. I promise you're gonna like this." he reassured me. Jacob held a hand out for me, and I reluctantly took my seat belt off, taking the proffered hand. He wrapped his other arm around my waist and hefted me out of the truck.
I squealed in surprise, demanding to be put down. He gently lowered me to my feet. Sidestepping around me, he grabbed something out of the truck and closed it.
"What are we doing?" I asked, my gaze traveling to that tiny little trail by the woods. He laughed a little, unable to help himself.
"We're going for a little walk," he stated simply. I stood rooted to the spot he put me on.
"What? Uh, maybe you didn't notice, but this isn't exactly hiking gear." I informed him, trying not to get mad. He pulled me up in a little one-armed hug, giving me a little peck on the lips.
"Don't worry, I didn't come unprepared," he said, waving some type of cloth bag in front of my face. "Besides, those shoes you're wearing can take most of the walk up there, and I can carry you the rest of the way. It's not far." he added, when I looked skeptically at him.
"I don't know about this..." I mumbled, but he had already started towards the path. "Hey, wait for me! You can't just leave me here!" I shouted at his retreating back, then trotted to catch up to him, biting back a diatribe of other things I wanted to yell at him, most of them not nice.
He was right about my shoes being able to take most of the walk. It was very level and flat for the most part. Any inclines in the narrow trail were very slight and gradual. There were no potholes or rocks, or even exposed roots.
I was surprised how well taken care of it looked, despite the deserted, unused appearance. I didn't see anyone the whole time we were walking. My legs were just starting to cramp up a little when we reached a rocky outcropping jutting out off the right side of the trail.
The trail itself continued, the path getting rougher this time, roots and rocks visible, and in some places grass completely covered it, almost completely masking the narrow path. I stopped for a minute, bending over and catching my breath.
"Okay, so now what?" I panted, waving in the general direction of the not-so-heel-friendly trail.
"Give me your shoes," he said, holding out his hand.
"What?! I'm not going to walk barefoot...I've got stockings on!" I spluttered.
"Well, you can take those off, too, if you want," Jacob said, grinning at me. I stood there for a moment, arms crossed, defiant. "Look, if you don't take them off, I will..." he said, walking towards me with a big grin on his face, and arms coming towards me, his eyebrows wiggling at me.
I backed up a little, trying to watch where I was going while walking backwards, and keep an eye on Jacob at the same time.
"Okay, okay, stop! I'll take them off, jeez..." I said, warding him off with my hand held out in front of me. I sighed, and looked around for a place to sit. Jacob just stood there, waiting. I rolled my eyes and turned to the outcropping, walking to a relatively flat rock to sit on.