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The sunlight filters through the water and casts rainbow patterns everywhere. It’s like a magical grotto.
Just then, one of the finfin birds flies through the waterfall and whizzes past us. Its azure wings flash and spread sparkling water as it darts up to its nest hidden high up amongst the crystals.
“Oh, Renxel, this is so amazing.”
“Not many people know this place exists,” he tells me. “My father showed me when I was a kid. We used to go out hiking a lot then. He knew all the hidden gems throughout the mountains. I loved exploring with him.”
“Well, thank you for sharing it with me.” I’m mesmerized by the whole thing. The light plays through the waterfall, the glowing crystals grow from the walls, and the amazing finfin birds fly with such ease in and out of the spray.
Renxel moves over to a large flat rock and starts to unpack the contents of his bag. He’s brought a picnic lunch, complete with a bottle of last year’s greenberry wine.
He carries with ease two large rounded river rocks for us to use as seats. A meal at the finest restaurant on Kiphia could not have pleased me more.
“You certainly know my weak spot,” I joke with him as I sit down beside him.
“I hoped you’d be impressed,” he replies, evidently pleased with my approval. “You did well on the climb up here,” he tells me. “Some of those boulders were difficult even for me to get up.”
“I think you may be humoring me now,” I tell him. “But I’m glad you let me struggle with them on my own. The more I practice, the better I’ll get.”
“So how was your weekend away with the girls?”
I tell him all about the hot springs and the chordata ride there and back, and I tell him about the copious supply of fire blaster that I’m still regretting. He listens to my tale and joins in with anecdotes. I feel like I’m meeting the real Renxel for the first time. And I like it.
The afternoon seems to fly past. Renxel is so easy to talk to. We laugh about things that happened in the inn, and we talk about the book that he’s reading.
But when he reaches out to take my hand, I instinctively pull away. It’s terrible to watch his face fall after all the effort he put into our date and the fun afternoon we’ve spent together. I feel like I’ve kicked a puppy.
“I’m sorry,” I tell him sincerely. “I’m just not ready for that yet. It broke my heart when you walked out of my life. I need to regain some trust before we get into anything physical.”
“No, it’s fine, I get it,” he replies hurriedly. “And I’m sorry for pushing it. We were just having such a great time, and it felt natural to reach out to you.”
“We were, and I hope it’ll be natural again soon, but right now, let’s build our emotional relationship back up before we move into the physical, okay?”
“Sure,” he says. “We should probably go if we want to get back before dark.”
“Okay,” I tell him, standing up.
Looking around at the wonderful cave, I suddenly feel a chill. The birds are still flying in and out through the waterfall, but some of the magic has gone out of it. I try to tell myself it’s because the sun has moved around and stopped dancing withthe water. But in truth, I know the interaction has left a damper on my joy.
During the walk home, Renxel explains some of his climbing techniques that help me descend safely down the trickier rocks. It breaks the discomfort of our earlier interaction, and by the time we get back to the village, we’re laughing like a couple of kids.
“I loved today,” I tell him. “It was the best surprise date ever.”
“I try and get there every year at this time,” he tells me. “And every time, it is still just as wonderful.”
“Do you want to meet again tomorrow?” I ask. The fluttering in my heart reveals the anxiety I feel at the question. How long will it take before I believe he’ll stick around?
“Absolutely,” he replies. “I want to see you every day. We’ve got a bit of lost time to make up for.”
I like his answer.
Without even thinking about it, I step forward and give him a hug goodbye. I am relieved that it doesn’t linger. Renxel has obviously taken in my words from earlier.
18
RENXEL
As I walk away from Mira’s apartment, the now too familiar ache begins again. I kick a rock and send it careening down the trail. I walk past the inn and keep going. Sleep will be impossible.
