Page 45 of Let the Light Shine Through

Behind Gia, there’s a small set of natural waterfalls that I honestly didn’t think the creek could handle.

“So, we found it then?”

“Not yet.”

What? More hiking?

She steps up to me, blocking the view with an even better one, and everything else starts to fade away as her brown eyes take hold of mine. My fingers, hanging limply at my sides, venture out, seeking hers. She brings her hands forward too, touching my fingers with only the backs of hers.

“Close your eyes,” she whispers, breaking the spell.

I shake my head, not ready to let this moment go, but she nods, smiling.

“You won’t push me, will you?”

“Just trust me, Roswell Andrews-Smith.”

Even though my own eyelids threaten to revolt, I close them, telling her, “That’s Mr. Fancy to you.”

A small laugh reaches my ears just before the sound of rushing water comes into focus. Birds chirp overhead, leaves flutter to the ever-growing ground, twigs snap in the distance. Everything’s intensified with one of my senses cut off, even the buzz passing between our fingers.

Our only connection breaks and I swear I’m about to open my eyes, then Gia’s at my back, pressing her front flat against me. The new, larger buzz intensifies until that’s all I can concentrate on and every bit of her body touching mine becomes visible as I memorize her curves with my mind alone. The more I visualize Gia’s milky white skin, the more I wonder why the fuck I didn’t touch it all when I had the chance. I told Gia I’m saving my last three kisses, but I didn’t say anything about keeping my hands to myself.

Gia’s breath swirls across my cheek as she says, “Open.”

Working past a squint, I’m met with the first sunrise I’ve seen in a long time. At the crest of the falls sits the tips of the sun’s rays gracing us with a warm, colorful morning greeting. My breaths slow to match Gia’s while shades of pink, purple, and orange fill the sky above us. Her inhales become mine until we’re breathing in sync, my back not to her but for her.

Gia’s been avoiding me in a frustrating dance of give-and-take, but she chose to bring me here…for some reason. That has to mean something. It does mean something. Watching the sun come up with the woman that brought light back into my life will be imprinted onto my mind for the rest of my days. No fever dream I’ve ever had could even come close to this.

My cheeks are just starting to heat when Gia speaks, her voice soft and nearly unrecognizable. “Thank you.”

“For what?” I spread my hands out in front of us. “This was all you.”

“For trusting me.”

Her chin falls away from my shoulder.

Toying with her sleeve, Gia avoids my gaze as she asks, “Can you take me home?”

“Sure…” Hope bangs around in my chest, begging to be let out, but before I can ask if she means my home or hers, she looks up and says, “I need to be there when my dad wakes up.”

Is that why she doesn’t sleep anywhere else? Because of her dad?

“Um, yeah. No problem. You okay to walk back to the truck?”

I reach my hand out for hers, and even though she says, “Yes,” she takes it, and we step over a raised tree root together.

“So…”

“So?”

“How long are you planning on drawing this out for?”

“What do you mean?” She’s the one that brought me here.

“You’re down to three, cowboy.”

Aw, she’s on to me.