Sunday morning brought one of those rare, almost mythical days in Forks, sunlight spilling through the clouds bright enough to make the damp little town sparkle.
For once, the rain had retreated, and the air carried that crisp, clean scent that only came after days of endless drizzle.
Mike stood beside his white Mountaineer and squinted suspiciously at the sky like it had personally betrayed him.
“Well, guess I can’t use the weather as an excuse today,” he muttered while sliding on a pair of black sunglasses.
He’d thrown on a casual outfit: a soft gray hoodie over a white T-shirt, dark jeans that fit a little tighter than they used to thanks to his recent growth spurt, and white sneakers.
Not exactly beachwear.
Then again, this wasn’t exactly a planned vacation.
Still, something had been pulling at him ever since dinner last night.
La Push.
The drive there was quiet, the road winding through endless walls of evergreens while sunlight slipped between the branches in scattered ribbons of gold.
The occasional breaks in the trees gave him glimpses of distant blue water until eventually the ocean itself came into view.
A few minutes later he pulled into the parking area beside First Beach.
The moment he stepped out of the car, cool salty air rushed over him and filled his lungs.
Waves rolled steadily against the shore while seagulls drifted overhead on the ocean wind.
La Push was quieter than usual, with only a few locals scattered around enjoying the rare sunshine.
Mike shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets and walked toward the water, slowing as he reached the shoreline.
The ocean stretched endlessly before him, blue and silver beneath the morning light.
He stared for a while.
Then he dropped onto a smooth piece of driftwood.
“Alright,” he muttered under his breath.
“Let’s see if I magically connect with my ancestors or something.” Closing his eyes, he inhaled slowly.
Salt.
Pine.
Wet sand.
For several minutes he attempted what he generously called meditation.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Picture mystical nature energy.
Become one with the wolves.
Still nothing.
After another minute he cracked one eye open.
“…Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He sighed dramatically.
“Total nonsense.” An hour later, after successfully achieving absolutely nothing, Mike gave up.
He kicked off his sneakers, hooked them over one shoulder, and started walking barefoot along the shoreline instead.
The wet sand felt cool beneath his feet while small waves curled around his ankles.
Honestly?
It was nice.
Peaceful and quiet.
Then he noticed her.
Further down the beach, where the crowds thinned and driftwood lay scattered across the sand, someone stood near the water with her back partly turned toward him.
Long black hair moved in the ocean breeze like dark silk, catching sunlight in shifting ribbons.
Her skin carried a warm copper glow beneath the morning sun, and even from this distance he could see the sharp lines of her profile.
High cheekbones, long lashes, and full lips curved into a soft smile.
For a moment Mike just stopped walking.
Because wow.
His brain abruptly forgot how to function.
The ocean disappeared.
The seagulls disappeared.
Hell, he was pretty sure his own name disappeared for a second.
All he knew was that somehow the universe had apparently decided to put a goddess on a beach in Washington.
Then she noticed him and the smile on her lips vanished instantly.
Her eyes narrowed.
“What are you looking at, pale face?” she snapped.
Mike blinked.
Somehow even angry she looked unfairly pretty.
His brain, which had only just started rebooting, immediately crashed again.
Seeing him still standing there, looking at her like an idiot, her expression darkened.
“I said,” she repeated slowly, “what are you looking at?” That finally brought him back to reality.
“Oh, uh…” Mike nearly dropped his shoes.
“Sorry!
I wasn’t staring… I mean I was, but not in a creepy way!” Smooth.
Very smooth.
He gestured vaguely toward the ocean with his sneakers.
“I wasn’t spying or anything.
I was just walking and…” He stopped.
Then internally groaned.
Because there was absolutely no saving this.
“…I got distracted by your smile.” Leah froze.
For a moment surprise flashed across her face, quickly followed by color rising into her cheeks.
Mike noticed it immediately.
Then she looked away.
And for half a second, he could’ve sworn he saw the beginning of another smile trying to escape.
Then she apparently remembered she was supposed to be angry.
“Don’t think some pale face complimenting me is gonna make me happy,” she muttered while glaring at him again.
“You people really have no shame.” The glare would have been more convincing if she wasn’t still blushing.
… Minutes earlier Leah Clearwater sat on a sun-bleached driftwood log with her elbows resting against her knees.
Her thoughts were a complete mess.
Because apparently life had decided that simply breaking her heart wasn’t enough.
No.
The universe had apparently looked down and said: “You know what would make this worse?” “Everything.” Sam had left her.
That alone already hurt enough.
But somehow things had twisted into something uglier after that.
Because it wasn’t just anyone he’d left her for.
It was Emily.
Her cousin.
Her best friend.
Leah had noticed it long before anyone said anything.
The looks.
The way Sam followed Emily around like he was pulled by invisible strings.
And even though Emily kept turning him away, Leah had noticed things there too.
Small things.
The way Emily’s voice softened around him.
The way her eyes lingered a little too long.
Little things people thought no one noticed.
Leah noticed.
Of course she did.
It made her blood boil.
And now everyone expected her to just…
forgive it.
Expected her to comfort Emily.
“Because she got mauled by a bear,” Leah muttered bitterly.
Sure, she was worried.
She wasn’t that heartless.
Emily had been hurt horribly, and somewhere deep down Leah knew none of this was really her fault.
But pride was a stubborn thing.
So was pain.
Leah looked down at the silver ring resting in her palm.
Sam’s ring.
The ring he’d given her when he’d promised forever.
Her thumb rolled slowly across the metal.
Again.
Again.
And again.
Then suddenly something inside her snapped.
With a sharp breath she stood.
Her arm drew back.
And she hurled the ring toward the ocean as hard as she could.
It disappeared into the waves with a tiny splash.
Gone.
Just like that.
The last piece of Sam Uley was gone.
Leah stood there breathing hard while the wind tugged at her hair.
Then slowly…
Very slowly…
Something loosened inside her chest.
It wasn’t exactly happiness or peace.
But she felt lighter, and that was enough.
She sat back down, closed her eyes, listened to the waves, and without realizing it, a small smile found its way onto her lips.
Then movement caught her attention.
Leah opened her eyes and turned.
A tall blond guy stood several yards away holding his sneakers and staring at her like he’d forgotten basic human functions.
Pale skin, broad shoulders, messy blond hair.
Clothes that looked like they fit a little too tightly.
Definitely not from the reservation.
Her smile vanished instantly.
“What are you looking at, pale face?” The idiot didn’t even react, he just kept staring dumbly at her.
Leah narrowed her eyes.
“I said, what are you looking at?” That finally jolted him back to life.
“Oh, uh, sorry!
I wasn’t staring… I mean I was, but not in a creepy way!” Leah crossed her arms.
Unimpressed.
“I wasn’t spying or anything.
I was just walking and…” he fumbled.
Then he swallowed.
“…I got distracted by your smile.” Leah froze.
Heat rushed into her cheeks before she could stop it.
Idiot.
Why did her heart just do that?
For a second she almost smiled again.
Almost.
“Don’t think some pale face complimenting me is gonna make me happy,” she muttered sharply while turning away.
“You people really have no shame.” But as she stared back toward the ocean, she couldn’t quite get rid of the strange flutter in her chest.
Because she honestly couldn’t remember the last time someone had looked at her like that.
Not with pity or sympathy.
Just…
honest admiration.
And somehow that caught her off guard far more than it should have.