“Wow,” Bastian breathed beside me. The waterfall was no Niagara Falls, but it was difficult to hear each other over the crash. We were close enough to feel the spray.
“There’s a great fishing spot just down the river. We used to go swimming there when we were younger.” I pointed downstream.
“Why don’t you come here anymore?” he asked, taking off his socks and shoes and joining me in the water.
“With my other duties, I don’t really have time to run off and play in the woods.” I felt the weight of that statement. These woods had made my early days at The Retreat almost bearable. Anne and I had spent hours by this waterfall after she arrived. Sometimes talking. Sometimes silent. The distance between here and what lay behind us felt huge at the time. And important.
I hadn’t realized I missed the waterfall. The respite from the immensity I wore around my heart. I hadn’t known it was even there. Until now.
“You should always make time to run off and play in the woods. Like the kids did the other day,” Bastian said, kicking water in my direction.
“Hey!” I squealed, my skirt soaked.
“Oops, sorry,” Bastian chuckled, splashing me again. The water was cold as it dried but I didn’t care.
For once…it really didn’t matter.
“You don’t want to start something you can’t finish, Bastian Scott,” I warned, leaning down and filling my cupped hands with water.
Bastian, seeing what I was doing, started to back away from me. “I can finish whatever you start, Sara Bishop.”
I threw the water at him, dousing his face before he could turn away. He shouted as the cold droplets slid down his shirt. “Fucking hell!”
I splashed him again, laughing, not even caring about his foul language.
“Wait a minute, Sara, give a guy a second to—” He pulled on my arm and then both of us were falling into the river.
“Bastian!” I yelled. But I wasn’t angry. Far from it. I couldn’t stop smiling.
Bastian started to swim away from me. I went after him, grabbing his leg and yanking hard, pulling him beneath the water. He rose up, sputtering, shaking his head like a dog.
“You’re in for it now,” he teased. His dark hair hung in wet curtains around his face. His blue eyes sparkled with glee.
My breath caught in my throat.
I couldn’t look away…
And then he dunked me.
So, I pulled him under the water with me.
We both bobbed to the surface. He pushed my hair out of my eyes. “Much better,” he murmured. “I like seeing your face. It’s the kind of face that’s meant to be looked at.”
My heart thudded. Painfully. Purposefully. I ducked my head back under the water, mostly to cool the heat in my cheeks. When I came back up Bastian took my hand and pulled me towards the bank.
“Come on. There’s something wehaveto do.” He climbed out of the water and I clamored after him.
“What are we doing?” I asked, out of breath.
Bastian stopped at the foot of the cliff wall that led to the crest of the waterfall. He pointed to the top, at least twenty feet in the air. “We’re going up there.”
I refused to budge. “Uh-uh. No way.”
Bastian’s eyes sparkled at me. Full of so many things. He held out his hand. Waiting for me to take it.
“Take my hand, Sara. Let me teach you how to fly.”
I couldn’t.
