AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Lie better.
“You kicked it?” He repeated each word slowly, as if he were processing the sentence.
“Yes,” I said without turning my head to see his face. The sweat on the back of my neck was pouring onto my already-soaked sports bra.
Please stop asking questions.
After a few minutes of silence, I heard him swing his pack off of his back. A few moments later he nudged my arm. “You need to drink.” He held a large black metal bottle toward me.
“Oh, no!” I yelled when I saw his water bottle. “My pack!”
“Whoa, it’s okay. Look.” He flipped my small bag into view. “I’ve got it, underneath mine.”
I hadn’t even seen him grab my backpack and put it on, nor did I remember losing it. Somewhere between having my leg munched on and rolling over the boulder, I must’ve shrugged it off.
A sigh of relief left my body so rapidly, my shoulders hunched. My wallet with every form of identification and money I owned happened to be in that bag.
“Thank you,” I whispered and reached for the bag.
He nodded and handed it over to me. “Listen, drink some water, and I’ll wear it until we get back.”
I paused, ready to deny his help. But when he reached for my pack, I watched my fingers release it without my permission. I wasn’t used to assistance from other people. I had prided myself on doing it on my own for the past few years.
I just hope he’s not a very sexy thief.
He unzipped the bag and placed my full bottle in the palm of my hand.
I sipped at the water, watching him from the corner of my eye. He stood a few feet away, drinking from his canteen before storing it away and waiting for me to finish.
“What were you doing this far off the trail?” He tilted his head curiously.
“I didn’t know I was off the trail. Aren’t we on the trail right now?”
He grinned. “No, the trail ended two miles that way.” He pointed in the direction we were walking toward.
“Oh, are you sure?” I asked, mystified, turning in a half-circle to squint at the summit of the hillside.
I tended to have a pretty good sense of direction. Being this off track was a new record. Two miles! Off the trail!
“Which brings me to my second question.” he asked, bringing my attention back to him. “Why are you hiking alone?”
