My scrunchie?
The faded navy one with the little embroidered lemons. I must’ve pulled it out during the flight to adjust my head against the seat. I hadn’t even realized it was missing.
“You left it on the plane,” he said.
I nodded slowly, caught off guard.
“It’s…” I stopped. Just a strip of elastic and cloth. Nothing important. But also… “I mean…”
He gave a small shrug, like it was no big deal. “You disappeared before I could catch you.”
“Oh.” I reached out and took it, my fingers brushing his. “Wow.” I mean, he could have just tossed it. I was…what had called me earlier? Grumpy Girl.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.”
Just then, his mom leaned forward, pointing out the window. “Look up there, Noah!”
Without another word, he turned away. Like it really hadn’t meant anything.
I slid the scrunchie onto my wrist and plucked at it thoughtfully.
Leo never would’ve done something like that. He wouldn’t have thought it mattered.
And it didn’t.
Not really.
It was nothing.
A few minutes later, the bus eased into a small parking area. As everyone stirred and began filing off, the whole scene reminded me of an elementary school field trip—if all the students had gray hair, orthopedic shoes, and wore fanny packs and colorful track suits.
But then I stepped outside.
The first thing I noticed was the air—crisp and startlingly clean. It was lighter, somehow. Then there was the sun, high and brilliant, and this Colorado sky, honestly, it was the perfect hue of blue.
Taking it in, I pulled my jacket tighter around myself.
It had military-style patch pockets and rolled sleeves, a rugged touch to my otherwise boho look. Functional, cute…and way too light for the curling wind rolling up the side of the mountain.
Still, I took a few steps away from the group, letting the cool air burn through the last of my sleepiness. Catching sight of the chapel, I immediately understood how it got its name. It had been built atop a massive rock, and the stone exterior fit the setting as naturally as the rugged peaks rising behind it.
“This way, folks!” I was vaguely aware of Tay trying to herd everyone together.
A stronger gust of wind ruffled my skirt, but I didn’t move back toward the others. Instead, I crept closer to the edge of the parking lot. And as my sandals crunched softly on the gravel, I let my gaze wander over the play of light and shadow across the valley.
The majesty, the vastness, made me feel small. It made my troubles seem even smaller.
The weight I’d been carrying eased up just a little.
“This way to the chapel!”
I shifted my weight, hugging myself a little tighter, but still, I didn’t go back. The bus and the others were behind me, their voices distant now, blending with the ruffling leaves in the trees all around me.
So much blue, not just the sky, but reflected in the meandering stream below. Tall grass, every shade of green, bent to the will of the wind. I’d never seen anything like this.
Something rose in me, a pressure, and my heart leapt a little as I had the sudden, inexplicable urge to cry.
