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The last thing I need is her beside me, talking about how I should go on a date with Jake. I’d rather be celibate for the rest of my life, thanks.
It’s a gloomy overcast kind of day, which most people hate, but it’s my favorite. I love dark dreary days because there’s no pressure to get out and do anything. You can just curl up in bed with a good book and waste the day away with no guilt.
If I wasn’t living with my parents, I would do just that. But I am, so I have to get out of the house.
The forest smells so good. It rained this morning, so the air has that piney scent to it as I jog past wet trees. The occasional drop of water falls on me from the branches overhead. I head deeper into the forest and the damp earth begins to slope up in an incline. I’m at the base of Angel Mountain, which isn’t even in the top ten largest mountains in the area, but it makes for a nice little run.
It’s not long before Colin is back on my mind.
My heart beats a little harder as I run up the side of the mountain, thinking of how nice it felt to be out with him last night. I can’t help but smile when I remember the jealous look in his eyes when he saw me talking to the bartender.
It was like old times, but then he left so abruptly. A heaviness hits my chest as the image of him walking away plays through my mind. He looked so closed off. So uninterested like he didn’t want anything to do with me.
I wish I could go back in time and handle things differently. If I could, I don’t think I would have broken up with him in the first place. I would have brought him with me to London or maybe stayed here and tried to find a school that’s closer.
There was a part of me that was seeking adventure, that needed to go away from this small town and sow my wild oats. Now, looking back in hindsight, I know that the wanderlust part of me made me give up too much. It was too heavy a price to make me give up Colin. I regret it. Every day, I regret it.
I arrive at the top of the mountain before I know it and look around at the stunning view as the cool breeze brushes against my sweaty skin.
I love it up here. I didn’t get any views like this in London.
Rolling hills and lush forests stretch out into the distance, creeping up the majestic snow-capped peaks miles away. I follow the winding river with my eye until it gets to the town. I’ll have to go higher to get a full view of Greene Mountain town with the amazing ice cream shop where Colin first told me he loved me and all the restaurants where Colin took me when we were teenagers.
A nostalgic aching hits my chest and I decide to hike up the next larger mountain to see all of these beloved places from a high.
Everything here reminds me of him. I wish he was here with me. I wonder what he’s doing right now…
I jog down the slope of the mountain and then continue up the larger one.
I’m so distracted by thoughts of Colin that I don’t notice the loose rock until it’s too late. My foot rolls to the side and I hear a pop.
I go down hard as a fiery pain shoots through my right ankle and travels up my leg.
“Ow!” I scream as my hands and knees hit the rocky ground. I keep my foot up as I roll onto my ass.
Shit. This is not good.
My ankle is fucked. I twisted it really bad.
Tears fill my eyes as I loosen my laces. I can’t move it. I try to put it down and searing pain slices up my leg, making me nauseous. There’s no way I’ll be able to get back on my own.
I look around in a panic, taking in my surroundings. I’m two-thirds of the way up Wellington Mountain and there’s no one around for miles. No one is hiking on this shitty day. I don’t have my phone. I only have a couple of sips of water left and no food.
An eagle cuts through the sky overhead and lets out a shriek. I wince, hoping he’s not hungry enough to come down here and eat the wounded human.
One thing plays over and over in my mind as I sit here, stranded…
I wish Colin was here.
Chapter Five
Colin
“So, are you going to ask her out or are you going to mope around here for the next few decades?” Julian asks with a laugh.
Aiden is bent over some old map of the area that’s laid out on the table. “He’s going to mope. Deep down, Colin doesn’t want to be happy. He likes being the town grump.”
