My anxiety was still present, but he did have a point. It was a beautiful day and the thought of spending it by myself wandering these trails sounded revitalizing.
“I still don’t like this. I don’t want to leave Calla,” Eli said as Shay approached the group.
“Too bad, Prince Charming. Those are the rules of the challenge,” she said, marking something on her clipboard.
“Screw that. I’m not leaving Trace out there by herself.” Danny looked like he wanted to murder someone.
“I’ll be okay,” Trace said in a shaky voice that even I didn’t buy.
“I’ll be fine too,” I added with surprising conviction.
Danny continued to argue with Shay as Eli pulled me aside. “Are you sure?” His eyes combed over my face, searching for reassurance that I’d be alright.
I feel protective over you.
His words from last night echoed through my mind. I almost melted into a puddle over how sweet his concern was.
“I’m sure.” I squeezed his arm. “It sounds kind of fun.”
“Have you been hiking before?” he asked, hopeful.
“Nope. But how hard can it be? It’s just walking.”
Eli groaned and ripped a hand through his hair. “That’s not exactly putting me at ease.”
“I promise I’ll be fine. We’ll be together at the meeting point before you know it.”
“I highly doubt that,” he said. “I have a feeling time is going to be moving very slowly until I see you again and know you’re okay.”
Feeling spontaneous, I stood on my tiptoes and planted a kiss on Eli’s mouth.
His eyes widened, but he smiled. “What was that for?”
“For worrying about me, but I promise I can do it.”
Eli’s jaw flexed, but he looked resigned. “You’re right. You can do this.”
I put my backpack on and he tightened the straps for me, making sure everything was on correctly.
“Maybe you’ll even beat me,” he joked as he shrugged on his own pack.
“Yeah, I’ll try not to get bored waiting for you at the meeting point.” I grinned up at him.
“I’m going to hug you now,” he said, but I had already stepped into his arms before the words were out of his mouth. He held me to his chest and tangled his hand in my hair, ensuring my head stayed in the crook of his neck.
“You’re going to be fine. You’re resilient, Calla.” He kissed my forehead, his lips lingering. “You’ve grown so much since you’ve been here. You’re mentally so strong. Physically, I’d appreciate it if you’d just be a little more on the careful side?—”
“Is this supposed to be a pep talk?” I interrupted.
I could feel him smiling against my forehead before he kissed it again and took a step back. “You’re going to do great.”
Twenty minutes later—mostlybecause that’s how long it took Shay and Trace to talk Danny down—I was in the girls’ van waiting to be dropped off at my trailhead. Rachel and Sofia had already been dropped a couple miles back.
“It’ll be fine,” I whispered to Trace, who still looked a little nervous.
She gave me a thumbs-up.
The van came to a stop and Brady shuffled Trace out. They spoke for a few minutes before we were on our way again. When we came to the next stop, Brady got out of the passenger seat and came around to open my door. I jumped out and straightened my gray fleece pullover.
