AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Enjoy.” Brett raked his eyes over my body and I shivered. “Can’t wait for my turn with you, Rose.”
Before I could respond, Jackie pulled me away, gently leading me across the parking lot to a small trailhead. It had a yellow marker and I stopped to glance at it. Moderately-strenuous. “Did you bring water?” Jackie didn’t have on a backpack and wasn’t carrying anything, but I was worried that we would get caught out in the woods and suddenly need something to drink.
“No, don’t worry, Rosita. I’ve got everything covered.” He ushered me ahead of him and I started down the path. It was so narrow that the two of us had to walk in a line, which was disappointing, because I wanted to hold his hand. Just knowing that he was right behind me, though, gave me comfort.
The path was well-worn, and as soon as we were out of sight of the parking area, I felt like we were in the middle of the woods. We could be on the side of the mountain hours from civilization for all I knew. It was incredibly gorgeous here, and I slowed my pace, enjoying listening to the birds sing in the trees. A breeze blew through, rustling leaves, and making goosebumps pop up on my arms.
We went around a small bend in the path and then it opened up into a clearing. There was tall grass here that swept up around my knees and, off in the distance, I could hear water.
“This is gorgeous. Do you know where we are?” Stopping, I turned around to face Jackie. He had so many secrets that I still didn’t know. I never would have thought that he would look this comfortable out in the woods, but he seemed relaxed and totally at home. It made me smile when I realized that I was going to get to learn even more about him right then.
“I used to come here all of the time with my dad when I was a kid, back before the company really took off and he kinda got married to work. I haven’t been here in probably…seven years or so, but it used to be one of my favorite places to come. What do you think?”
I spun in a slow circle, my head tilted back, trying to take it all in. It was really gorgeous, with enough space between the trees in the clearing to see the bright blue sky. A fluffy white cloud slowly moved across the sky, casting a little shadow on the two of us.
Had I ever been anywhere that beautiful before? I honestly wasn’t sure that I had, and the fact that I was getting to experience it with the three guys who meant the most to me was incredible. Turning back to him, I stare into his eyes and loop a hand around the nape of his neck.
“I can see why you’d want to come here all the time. Do we keep walking or is this where you want to stop?” My legs ached to hike, but I also wanted to pull him to me, to feel his hands on me. We were magnetic and I didn’t feel like I’d spent enough time with him to really get to know him. The woods may not have been the place where I wanted to spend time with him, but right now…I didn’t care. I just wanted him.
“We could stop.” He traced a finger down my cheek before dropping his hand to my shoulder. “But there’s something else I want to show you, Rosita.”
Regret poured through me when he stepped away, and I considered reaching for him and pulling him back, but I knew that I had to let him go right now. He took my hand and pulled me along behind him. Across the clearing from the trial that we had been on, there was a wider trail and we took that, finally walking side by side.
After a moment, I noticed that the sound of running water was getting louder.
“Are we going to the stream?” My curiosity was definitely piqued. If I had had all day on the mountain with Jackie then I would have loved to explore every nook and cranny that the woods had to offer, but I had a feeling that I was getting the highlights tour right now.
“You’ll see. Watch your step.” Jackie pointed to a huge root that I would have tripped on if he hadn’t said anything, and smiled when I snuggled in to walk closer to him. “I’m really happy that I get to show you this place, Rosita. You have no idea what it means to me to be able to bring the girl I love here.”
There wasn’t anything for me to say. Jackie knew how much he meant to me, even after all that we had been through the past year. There really wasn’t anything that could tear him away from me now, no matter what happened. He was funny, and kind, and always made me laugh, which is not something that anyone else was able to do on a regular basis.
I also knew that he was going to need some time to get his thoughts in order and figure out what he was going to say to me. I wanted to push him but knew that waiting was the best option if he was really going to let down his guard of being funny and finally let me all the way in.
While I waited, we walked, going deeper and deeper into the woods. Suddenly we turned around an old dead tree and were standing on a huge outcropping of rock. Water roared below us as it tumbled and fell over a waterfall. I gasped, grabbing tightly onto Jackie’s arm to steady myself. I didn’t normally get dizzy because of heights, but there was something about the movement of the foam and the loud sound of the water that threw me off-balance.
Before I could steady myself, Jackie wrapped his arms around me, pulling me back a bit from the edge. We could still see the water rushing and pouring over the sharp rocks, but there, in his arms, I felt safer. When, just a moment before, I felt dizzy, and liked I could easily tip over the cliff into the water, as soon as he held me, I knew that I was perfectly safe.
I wasn’t in any danger when I was with Jackie. He loved me, and he would do anything that he could to make sure that I was going to be okay. Not only out here, in the woods, but also once we got back to school. That realization gave me a peace that I didn’t realize I’d been lacking.
“What do you think?” He had to talk louder than he had on the trail in order for me to hear him over the sound of the rushing water. In response I turned in his arms, reaching up to cup his cheek in my hand.
He was gorgeous.
He was also incredibly funny. He always knew how to diffuse a situation and how to make me laugh, even when everything seemed dire. Even when I was being hunted by the harpies, the way he looked at me during homeroom and the sly smile he gave me was enough to make me feel better about myself.
But I wasn’t sure that there was any way that I could tell him that. How could I explain to him that, even when I felt like everything was falling apart, knowing that I was going to get to see him and have his smile turn on me was enough to make the day better?
There wasn’t anything for me to say, and even if I tried, I knew that I would fall short. He was smiling at me, his grin taking up his whole face, his eyes crinkled as he waited for me to respond.
“It’s gorgeous. It’s perfect. I love being here with you, and I love you, Jackie. You always make me laugh and smile, and knowing that you’re around makes everything better. Thanks for being the one to make me laugh, even when things were horrid.”
“I’m sorry they were horrid.” He reached out and lifted my chin so that I was looking at him. “I’m sorry that I was one of the reasons that everything was so bad for you and that I just sat by while the harpies took it all out on you. I promise you, Rosita, I’m not going to sit by any longer. You have me on your side now, and I’m never going to watch from the sidelines. I messed up, bad, and the fact that you forgive me is…well, it’s incredible. I can’t believe it.”
“Believe it.” I closed the gap between us and reached for him, pulling him closer to me. I could listen to his voice all day long, but right now there was something else that I wanted from him.
No, needed.
I needed to show Jackie that I felt the same way about him. We’d kissed before, but there had always been this undercurrent that something was wrong between us. Something was unsettled, and we had to figure it out before we could really come together, but here, in the middle of the woods, that had finally happened.
