“It’s not me,” says the sign. “I’m a sycamore.”
Great. Even the trees are fucking with me now.
“Isn’t that hilarious?” says Jett, who appears to be having the time of his life here in this moldy old forest.
“Hilarious,” I agree grimly. “Just… hilarious.”
We walk on for a few minutes before reaching another giant tree.
“Not me either,” says the sign in front of this one, making Scarlett squeal with fake laughter.
Surely no one can bethatexcited by a tree?
A few more minutes of squelching, however, finally brings us to our target.
“The Birnam Oak — a living relic of Birnam Wood,” Scarlett says dramatically, pretending she didn’t just read that off the sign.
“Is… is thatit?” I blurt, unable to stop myself. “That’s what we drove three hours to see? It’s… atree?”
Jett and Scarlett look at me pityingly.
“It is, Lexie,” Jett solemnly. “It’s a tree. But what a tree it is! Just look at it.”
I look at it dutifully, even taking the time to step all around it. It’s very tall, I’ll give it that. But there’s an old can of Irn Bru at the base of it, and a droplet of water trickling down my neck, which I guess is kind of killing the moment for me, somehow.
“I’m sorry, but I’m just seeing a tree,” I say, shrugging as I return to Jett. “If I’d known, I could’ve shown you thousands of them back home.”
“Lexie, Lexie,” he replies, coming to stand beside me. “This is not ‘just’ a tree, trust me. Come here.”
Taking me by the hand, he leads me down the small hill that takes us to the base of the tree.
“Do this,” he instructs, placing both of my hands against the trunk.
I do as he says, feeling ever so slightly stupid, but enjoying the way he’s leaning in behind me, his body close to mine and the smattering of stubble that’s started to appear on his face again grazing the skin on my cheek. The rain doesn’t reach us under the canopy of leaves, but I can hear it falling, making it feel oddly cosy standing here next to the giant oak.
“Feel that,” Jett says, placing his hands over mine and making my heart start to do funny things inside my chest. “That’s history, Lexie, right under your skin. Think of all the things this tree has seen. All the things that have happened while it’s been standing right here, in this wood. It’s magical, isn’t it?”
He’s standing behind me, his arms reaching around my body to touch the tree trunk as he leans in over my shoulder. If I turned my head even slightly, our lips would be almost touching, and the impulse to do exactly that is so powerful I have to press my palms hard against the tree trunk to stop myself.
It’s definitely not just history that’s getting under my skin right now.
“It is,” I say, my voice sounding like it’s coming from very far away. “It’s absolutely magical.”
It is, too. Although, don’t tell Jett, but it’s not actually thetreeI’m talking about.
Before I can think better of it, I turn around until my back’s pressed against the tree trunk. Jett still has an arm on either side of me, but now we’re face to face, and I’m starting to think that agreeing to come and see this tree could just be the best decision I’ve ever made.
“So it’s not ‘just a tree’ then, huh?” says Jett, apparently totally unperturbed to find me close enough to… well,kiss, really.Kissis the word that popped into my head as soon as I turned to face him, and it continues to hover over the two of us as we stand there, almost nose-to-nose, with the soft pitter-patter of the rain above us lending the illusion of complete privacy. “You like it?”
“Iloveit,” I assure him, still not even remotely talking about the Birnam Oak. “I love this tree. Consider me a fan. Sign me up to its newsletter.”
Jett’s lips part as he smiles. There’s absolutely no reason for us to still be standing here in the rain. And yet here we stand, under the protective branches of The Best Tree in All the Land, with the wordkissstill hovering between us, and getting larger by the second. It’s so big now, and so obvious, that it’s impossible to ignore it, or pretend it isn’t there. It would be stupid to even try, really, and as Jett leans closer, his eyes locked onto mine, I can’t help thinking he’s noticed it too.
Kiss.
It’s all I can think about now. Gone is the rough bark of the tree against my back, and the smell of the rain on the ground. Gone is the muddy ground under my feet, and the chill in the air that I complained about all the way here. All there is now is me and Jett—
“Perfect,” says Scarlett’s voice from somewhere nearby. “That’s fantastic guys. Our readers will love these shots.”
