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“Is something wrong?” Beckett asked.
“Nothing,” Miles said, pulling a tight smile. He changed the topic. “How many times have you camped here?”
“When I was a kid, I came here almost every summer with my cousins,” Beckett said. “So, at least ten times.”
“Wow. And you haven’t gotten bored of this place?”
“No. I don’t get bored of beauty,” Beckett said.
Miles looked at the ground. “So how many people would you camp with?”
“I’d go with my parents, my aunt and uncle, and my four cousins. Sometimes one of us would bring a friend.”
“Did you?”
“I brought my high school best friend once or twice.”
“Oh?”
Beckett nodded. “You’ve never met him. He moved to Brisbane for university.”
Him. So this high school best friend was a guy.
The path they were on led out to a highway, and they crossed to the carpark on the other side. At the far end of the carpark was another path, with a wooden sign next to it with the name Lilly Pilly Gully Circuit Walk.
They started down the gravel path which, unlike the other walks they’d done this trip, was quite flat. They passed a few groups of people as they walked deeper into the mass of tall trees, but soon Miles noticed how quiet it’d become. There was no rush of the ocean, no hints of chatter, no sizzle of food on the gas stove, no rain. Just the gentle swish of leaves.
Soon they arrived at a rainforest filled with lush ferns dripping with dew. The path had transformed into a boardwalk, to protect walkers from the damp landscape, and suddenly, Beckett took Miles’s hand.
Miles glanced at Beckett, but he looked ahead, as if holding hands was the most normal thing in the world. It did feel natural, Miles had to admit. And nice.
They gazed at the bright, green nature that surrounded them, and soon the forest ended. The boardwalk turned back into a gravel path, rolling up and down the side of a mountain. There were a few puddles, but they were easy to dodge.
Miles noticed a small path going off the main one. It was barely noticeable, but there was a shallow line of exposed soil suggesting that a few people walked down there.
“What’s this?” Miles asked before heading down it, dragging Beckett with him.
“It’s…” Beckett started but was soon distracted as they stepped over short shrubs to get down the path.
Soon, they were led to a meadow filled with weeds and wildflowers and surrounded by tall trees, giving them a sense of privacy.
“This is pretty,” Miles said. Romantic, even. “Have you ever been here before?” he asked Beckett.
Beckett’s eyes wandered up tree trunks. “Yes.”
“With your high school best friend?” Miles guessed.
Beckett nodded.
“What did you do here?”
Beckett shrugged. “Sat and talked. Killed time.”
Miles looked at him.
“You really want to know?” Beckett asked.
“Yes. That’s why I asked.”
