“It’s so beautiful. I see why you come down here.”
“Just wait,” He winks at me, sending butterflies skittering through my belly.
The cave opens up at the end, with a massive waterfall flowing over the cave opening. My breath is lost as I gape in awe at the serene scene before me. The large open areais furnished with two chairs, a folding table, and blankets folded and stacked on each chair. A cooler sits off to the side, it’s not large but not small either.
My eyes widen in surprise, “Did you set all this up?”
A shy smirk plays across his face, and his cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink. “I’m not good at surprises, but I wanted to show you my safe place. To let you know, you can come here as your escape, too. I know you’ve been going through a lot and…”
I don’t let him finish before I launch myself at him, embracing him in the biggest hug. He grunts on impact, but catches me nonetheless, returning the hug. “I’ve never had a friend put this much effort into me as much as y’all do. I love you!” The last three words slipped out before I could stop them. I freeze. He freezes. Both of us thrown off by my blurt out.
“I love you too,” He replied hesitantly, and that took some of the pressure off my soul. “Come here, I wanna show you the best part.”
He takes my hand and tugs me towards the cave opening, my nerves go into overdrive the closer we get. I have a terrible fear of depths. I love waterfalls from a distance, but getting up close and personal behind one on the side of a mountain slope is not my cup of tea.
There’s a ledge that extends out over the mountain’s steep slope, and at the very edge, Hayden is able to reach out and touch the water. “Stop before you fall over and die!”
“There’s worse things in life than dying.”
“Mhm, so I’ve heard.” I sass.
“It’s okay to live a little on the edge.”
“You’re living a little too close to the edge right now.”
He moves closer to me, which relieves my nerves slightly. He points out and up at the sky shining through the waterfall. Stars twinkle about the sky like glitter. “Wow,” I breathe. “Is it always like this?”
“Sometimes. Other times it’s foggy, or when it’s snowing, everything shines so bright you can hardly tell when it’s night.”
That sounds incredible, and I’d love to see all this in all those elements. I’m so thankful for Hayden and all he’s shown me these past few months. He’s taught me that there’s so much more to life, you just have to put yourself out there and find it.
“I brought up some snacks and drinks,” He points to the corner where I saw it when we first came in. “Over in the cooler.”
Opening the cooler, I find subs and an array of my favorite fruits. My stomach growls, so I grab the sub first. Opening the wrapper, I find it made the way I like it. “Whoever you marry one day is going to be one lucky woman.”
“What makes you say that?”
I shrug, mouth full of deliciousness, “Because you’re so thoughtful.”
“Only with you.”
My brows scrunch. It’s hard to picture Hayden beinganything like Ryder. He has such an airy aura around him, like a breath of fresh air on a spring day.
Before I can respond to his weirdly sincere comment, a low rumble echoes through the cave—deep, like the earth clearing its throat. Hayden stiffens beside me. The sound fades, trailing into the steady rush of the waterfall again.
“What was that?” I whisper.
He shakes his head, lips twitching. “Probably just thunder. Storm’s supposed to roll in tonight.”
I narrow my eyes. “Why do I feel like you’re lying to me?”
“Because you assume I’m always up to something?”
“Because you are always up to something.”
He laughs softly, brushing past me to sit in one of the chairs. The glow from his lighter casts warm light across the wet stone. I take the seat next to him, pulling one of the blankets over my legs. The air grows colder the longer we sit near the waterfall, and goosebumps rise along my skin.
For a moment, we eat in silence. Peaceful silence. Not awkward. Not tense. Just… calm. I’ve never really had that before the Langley family. Before Ryder. Before Hayden. Before Jessie and Teegan and this entire illegal, chaotic, unexpected life that somehow fits me better than the safe one I had before.
