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She lets out a nervous chuckle “Yeah. Smart.”
She hands it back to me and I clip it back.
We head up the trail. The river is on left, the rapids tearing over the rocks. And for a few minutes, it’s the only thing that can be heard.
“Wow. The river seems angry from here. But still beautiful,” she stops and takes her phone out to snap a few pictures of the surroundings.
“Come here. I want a picture with you,” she says as she waves at me to come stand next to her.
I put my arm around her shoulder and our heads meet. She snaps a few pictures.
“perfect” she says and tucks her phone back into her pocket.
After only one break to have a quick snack, we reach the top.
This has always been one of my favorite spots. There’s lots of little spots you can duck into to sit and relax.
“This is gorgeous,” she says but at the moment the only beautiful thing I see up here is her.
“I agree,” I say keeping my eyes on hers which are wide with excitement. We stand there for a few minutes, her watching the waterfall, and my gaze going from it to her. I reach my hand up and set it on her shoulder.
“Riley, I umm.” She turns her head and looks at me, a questioning look on her face.
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“What’s up?”
“It’s just that, you have been so amazing for me. I forgot what it was like to love where I live, and you sparked that in me.”
She turned all the way around to face me and as I let my hand drop from her shoulder.
“It’s been so fun having you as my personal tour guide. Meeting your family and watching that light inside of you that was at a simmer, shine brighter.”
Her hand comes up, rests on my cheek, and she rubs her thumb across my cheek bone.
“You have an amazing life here,” she says Without even thinking, my hands go to her hips, and I pull her close to me, just as my lips find hers. Her hand on my face moves to my hair, and her grip tightens lightly, and she pushes onto her toes to level the playing field. Our lips part in unison, and our tongues tease at one another’s. I get overwhelmed by the rushing sound from the falls and the pull of emotion she brings out of me. I break off the kiss and look back into her eyes, my breathing heavy, my heart ready to take the plunge.
“Stay” I say
Riley removes her hand from my hair and pulls back. She looks down toward my hands and I let her go. Then her eyes find mind. Her brows pinch together, and her head is slightly shaking.
“What?”
“Stay. Be here with me.”
“Grayson.” Her voice is a whimper and her shoulders slump,
“You know I--”
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“Don’t say anything right now. I know that isn’t a decision that you can take lightly.”
She takes a deep breath and looks past me at the falls. Her eyes become glassy, and one tear falls from her lashes. She stands there for a minute before looking at me. Her face blank as if she turned off her emotion.
