Colors blend together in an earthy palate of seamless beauty. Mountains, trees, rivers. The mustiness of fallen leaves mixes with the musk of my sweat for a combination better than any perfume. My lips taste salty from perspiration, but a welcome breeze blows my skin dry and lifts the strands escaping from my braid.
My legs do tremble from exertion, but it’s invigorating, not tiring. The feeling of being alive. The feeling of triumph. The sudden surety that there’s still more for me out here. Getting reflowed to Colorado Springs has turned out to be the best gift I’ve ever received.
Everyone on this mountain shares in my delight with high fives, back slaps, and tales of overcoming. There are no quitters here. Nobody has anything more to prove. We’ve become equals and one another’s biggest fans. I wish all of life could be lived from such a perspective.
We bond over our journey. From the old guy who tells us he once shoveled snow off every one of these steps to the group of athletes who claim they bring up ornaments to hang on their “Christmas tree” all throughout December—even though the parks department has banned them.
Nathan hands me a leftover protein bar I saved from an uneaten first-class breakfast. “Glad I made you finish the climb?”
I rip open the wrapper and tear into my nutty snack. I don’t want to admit he was right. But at the same time, it’s the reminder I need that my life can’t revolve around Wyatt. He’s probably not even thinking about me right now. Had I returned to the hotel and called him earlier, I would have been interrupting him at work.
“Thank you.” I mean it. “This is better than the San Luis Obispo cliffs and San Antonio Riverwalk combined.”
He shakes his head in disbelief, but his grin reaches just as far. “Here I thought people running downhill were the crazies.”
It may sound crazy, but the things we are given aren’t always as rewarding as the things we work for. It’s good to have something to work for again.
I pull my cell from the leg pocket on my yoga pants. “Will you take a crazy picture of me?”
He accepts my phone. “How crazy are we talking?”
I scan for the best background and a flat surface so I don’t roll an ankle or throw myself off a cliff. “I’m going to do a grand jeté.”
“A what?”
I step into position. “The splits in the air.”
“Oh, right. Of course. Why wouldn’t you?”
My smile softens. Nathan is easy to be with. He challenges me to do better while accepting me for who I am. Which is saying a lot, considering how neurotic I’ve been lately.
I’m still going to call Wyatt when I get back to make sure he knows I would choose him over this career. But I’m also going to enjoy the flight attendant experience while I’m living it. Who knows where else it can take me? I’m already on top of the world.
“Where are you?” Wyatt asks.
I lay on the bed in my hotel room, relaxed enough to sleep but too happy to drift off. Now that Wyatt has called, I get to tell him about my amazing moments. About doing a grand jeté on a mountaintop in the photo to which he’s referring.
“It’s near Pike’s Peak, and it’s called Colorado’s Stairway to Heaven. At first I thought that was because it can kill you and you go to heaven, but surviving it felt pretty heavenly too. Nathan kept me going.”
He harrumphs. “About Nathan ...”
I smile at the ceiling. “About Nathan ...” I repeat, curious to hear if Wyatt actually looked him up and what he found.
“I looked at his social media account and found his ex-girlfriend. But I also found the picture of him looking at you with the heart sunglasses. And the comments are all congratulating him on moving on.”
I blink, feeling like I’m at the optometrist, taking the vision test where you tell the doctor when the two images align. “That doesn’t mean anything. How did he respond?”
“He hasn’t.”
My pulse revs, and I roll to a seated position. “Let me see.” I drop the phone to the white comforter between my legs and tap on the screen to put our conversation on speaker. I need to scroll the internet and see for myself.
I can’t navigate fast enough. Why is this such a big deal? It won’t change anything. Nathan knows I have a boyfriend. I didn’t do anything inappropriate to lead him on. We’re friends.
Despite this inner argument, my heartbeat races. Finding answers will surely help it settle.
Wyatt chuckles. “It actually encourages me that you’re so shocked.”
Nathan’s image pops up on my phone. He’s dark and clean cut with a kind smile. This shouldn’t hit any differently than it did when I was with him in person an hour ago, except Wyatt is making a big deal out of it.
