‘Easy for you to say,’ I replied, forcing myself to walk deeper and deeper, gasping as the water covered my knees, my waist, then folding my arms over my chest before fully committing my whole body.
‘She did it!’ He let out a celebratory howl that echoed off the rocks around us. ‘Why do women make such a big deal about getting into the water? You’ll never know the pain of freezing cold temperatures the way a man does.’
‘Are you kidding?’ I asked, teeth chattering. ‘We have double the shock you do. Men think they’re the only ones that suffer because your bits are on the outside when it’s much worse for us, we just don’t complain as much.’
He came closer, rivulets of water rolling off his bronzed skin, and I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful line of his shoulders. ‘Bits? You’resoBritish.’
Now the initial shock had worn away, I had to admit the water felt amazing. Ren cut through it with expert strokes, the beautiful line of his shoulders not only for show.
‘How come you never moved back to LA permanently?’ I asked, swiping my wet hair out of my eyes as he floated a few feet away from me. ‘You obviously love it here.’
Wiping the water from his face, he grimaced at the question. ‘Because I can’t afford to? I always thought I’d end up in my grandpa’s house but that’s not happening now. All I see are memories and all my brother sees is dollar signs.’
‘The same thing is happening to Myrna,’ I replied. ‘Her stepkids are forcing her out. She thinks they’ll end up knocking the house down and building something new.’
‘And she’s probably right.’
His frustrated groan was even louder than the rush of the waterfall. ‘Everyone is so obsessed with what comes next, they don’t stop to think about the here and now, let alone the past. Myrna, my grandpa, their houses, they’re ancient history by LA standards. No one cares.’
‘I do,’ I said, feeling for smooth, wet pebbles under my toes. ‘And you do.’
‘Maybe I care too much,’ he replied. ‘According to my brother I’m a dying breed and I don’t think he means it as a compliment.’
Without any kind of plan, I took a step towards him and found myself scrabbling around over loose rocks instead of solid ground. Ren grabbed my arms to hold me steady and I realized I was floating. I’d lost my footing completely. He held on to me and I held on to him, keeping my head above the surface. Just barely.
‘More like one of a kind,’ I said, the heat of his hands burning my skin through the freezing cold water. I felt the pressure of his thumb rubbing along the bones of my wrist and all my clever, pretty words scattered into the wind. ‘I love that you care.’
‘Then maybe we’re two of a kind,’ he replied. ‘Me and you.’
Ren belonged in the forest.
His golden-brown skin shone in the water and his emerald eyes were almost jet black, pupils dilating in the muted sunlight. Slowly, he released his grip on my arm but instead of pulling away, he slid his hand up and down the delicate skin of my forearm until his palm pressed against mine, our fingers intertwining on their own. I found my footing, the ground certain underneath me, and the two of us stood in the water, half-submerged, face-to-face. Behind us, the waterfall poured into the pool, a beautiful force of nature, doing what it would always do until the river ran dry.
‘This is such a special place to me,’ he said, his words so soft they barely carried over the sound of the water. ‘I’m glad I got to share it today.’
I opened my mouth to tell him I felt the same way, that I never wanted to leave but if I really had to, I would never forget this place as long as I lived.
But I wasn’t the one he was supposed to be sharing it with.
Letting go of his hand, I took a step backwards and tumbled helplessly under the water, arms and legs flailing madly in slow motion. When I came back up, he was laughing, I was spluttering and whatever had been was gone.
‘We should get going,’ I said loudly, splashing my way back onto dry land and wringing the water out of my hair. ‘Bel’s up there waiting for us, it’s not fair to leave her on her own.’
Ren stayed where he was, staring at me as I attempted to cover my exposed body with my backpack, feeling far more undressed than I had a moment ago.
‘You’re right,’ he said, still waist deep in the water. ‘It’s not fair.’
I dragged my leggings up over my damp skin, glad we were in agreement. Although exactly what we agreed on, I wasn’t quite sure.
The hike back to the car was much faster than the hike out to the waterfall. Wet, wired and extremely confused, I wanted to go home, get in the shower, eat my bodyweight in snacks and go back to bed. Possibly not even in that order, the shower was not a priority.
‘There you are, I thought the bears had got you!’ Bel chirped, jumping down from the picnic bench where we’d left her and rushing down the path to leap up at Ren. ‘I was about to jump-start the car and get out of here.’
‘Your ankle’s feeling better then?’
She glanced over at me, her arms woven around Ren’s neck, legs wrapped around his waist. ‘A little,’ she said,slowly lowering her feet to the ground. ‘I took an ibuprofen. Literally a miracle.’
‘Almost as if an angel had come down from heaven and healed you himself,’ I replied coolly.
