AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Caleb holds his hand out for me, and I entwine our fingers. The only downside is the gloves separating our skin contact.
“When was the last time you were out here?” I ask.
“The last time I was here with you. I never really had a reason to come back out and visit. Work kept me busy. I had a lot of good memories out here, and I doubt that could ever be topped without you.” He lifts my gloved hand to his mouth and places a kiss on it.
I feel my heart swell from Caleb’s admission. He’s always been a sweet talker. Well, to me he has. All the girls in school used to fight for his affection, but he didn’t bat an eyelid at them.
“Now we can make new memories.”
He turns his head to look down on me. I keep on looking straight ahead of us, but I can feel his gaze on me. I know this trail like the back of my hand, but I don’t want to see the look on Caleb’s face. I can’t. I love Caleb, I always have, but our lives are different now. I’m different. I’m not whole. I’m damaged goods.
“Do you think I can’t tell when you’re thinking negatively?”
I smirk. I know he can read my mind. It’s like he’s in tune with me, even after all these years.
“I’m making it my mission, if only for one day, that you’re going to have fun. You’re going to forget about everything and live in the moment.”
“I’m already having fun. Just being here with you is amazing. Walking in the fresh air, feeling the cold air on my cheeks is fantastic. I forgot what it felt like to be out here in the open.” I lean my head on Caleb’s arm and take note of every sound or smell we come across. It’s like I’m seeing again for the first time, and this place doesn’t hold anything but good memories for me. I want to keep it that way for as long as possible.
“Well, since you like to look like Rudolph, why don’t we head up to the little cafe on the river bank, get us some hot cocoa, and we can sit on one of the outside benches along the water’s edge.”
“Sounds perfect.”
And it does sound amazing. Drinking hot cocoa is such a mundane task, but when you’ve been locked away from reality, everything becomes your new favorite thing. And I always had a sweet tooth. I could never turn down chocolate of any kind.
***
We’ve been out for hours, walking, exploring the area, and enjoying each other’s company. Nothing looks different, even after all the time I’ve been away. The people we’ve come across are different, but the area, the cabins, and the shops… it’s like time has stood still.
“Do you want me to call Amber to come and get us?” Caleb wraps his arms around my waist from behind and rubs his hands across my tummy.
We exit a little hotel and I tighten my scarf around my neck. I look up at the dusk sky. The stars are starting to shine brightly, and the frost is glistening on the ground.
“It will only take us ten minutes to walk back if we stick to the road, right?”
“It will, but I don’t want you to overdo things.”
“I’m pregnant, Caleb. I’m not ill. We can walk. I like walking.”
I take his hands away from me and capture his hand in mine, pulling him along behind me.
“Have you had a good day?”
I nod. “The best. I mean it, Caleb. I really have had the best day. I needed this escape and I didn’t even realize it. I’ve been struggling to get through each day back home, but here feels like I’ve turned a corner. A very small corner, but a corner all the same.”
“Good. I’m glad. Now let’s get you home.”
Home. I like that four-letter word. It’s a word I thought of often in the year that I was captured. I dreamed of the day I would get to go home to my family. I never once imagined that I’d be here with Caleb.
It amazes me how things turn out.
