Easy Kisses(11)
“What would you like me to say?”
He’s not breathing hard at all.
I hate him.
“Tell me about your tattoos.” I take a swig of water. “If you talk, it takes my mind off of wanting to die.”
“I won’t let you die, love.”
There’s that love again.
“Good to know.”
We turn a corner, away from the water. It’s quieter now, and just a little warmer, but still pleasant. The terrain continues to dip up and down, which tells me that the trip back isn’t going to be any easier than going in.
Damn it.
“I’ve only had the sleeve for about two years,” he says, just as I begin to think that he’ll ignore my request.
“That’s not long.”
“No,” he says simply.
“Okay, I’ll pull teeth. What made you decide to get it?”
“A woman.”
“Ah, yes. A lot of men get tattoos thinking they’ll impress a woman.”
“Some do, yes, but that wasn’t it.”
I stop on the trail and take another sip of water. “What was it, then?”
“She scarred me,” he replies simply. “And I decided to have the scars covered with the ink.” He points to his bicep. “But one led to another, and before I knew it, it covered my arm.”
“I think there’s a story there,” I say finally and lead him further up the trail.
“There’s always a story,” he says with a laugh. “But that’s the gist of it.”
And that’s all he’s going to tell me because the rest isn’t any of my business.
“How do you know Todd and Violet?” I ask, wanting to keep the conversation going.
“I’ve known Todd since I was a boy,” he replies. “He’s one of my dearest friends, and I trust him implicitly. And Violet is his sister.”
“No kidding.” I frown. “They don’t look much alike.”
“No, Todd was adopted,” Simon replies. “His wife just had a baby, otherwise she’d be here too.”
“Oh, that’s so great.”
“Do you like babies?”
“Of course. I’m a red-blooded woman in my late twenties.”
Simon smiles, a sadness in his eyes that makes me long to ask more questions, but suddenly he looks ahead.
“We’re almost there,” he says. “You’ve so got this.”
“I sure as fuck do,” I reply and push forward with more confidence than I feel. But suddenly, we walk through a wall of brush and onto a beach.
“Holy shit,” I say and stop in my tracks and just let the view wash over me. The lake sits in a bowl, surrounded by tall, jagged mountains. Waterfalls cascade down from the tops of the peaks. I’m surrounded by green and blue and brown, and I’m simply stunned.
“It takes my breath away every time,” Simon says quietly beside me.
“I don’t know if I believe that it’s real,” I reply with a whisper. There are other hikers here already, sitting on the beach, or on rocks in the water, soaking up the sun. Children splash in the water.
“Kids made it up here easier than me,” I remark, suddenly more embarrassed than before, but Simon nudges my shoulder and shakes his head.
“You did great, Charly. You’ve never hiked something like this before. We have all day to enjoy the view and regroup before we head back out.”
“Thank God,” I reply. “I’m going to just go for a walk since we’re no longer climbing up a freaking mountain.”
“Good. Enjoy it. You won’t be able to miss us.” He nods over my shoulder and I turn to find Violet and Todd splashing each other in the water while Heidi looks on, laughing and encouraging them.
“I’m glad I came,” I say, surprising myself. “I like you. All of you.”
“We like you, too,” he says and drags his thumb down my cheek. “Are you feeling better?”
“I am.” It’s the truth, but for some reason, I just need a little alone time. So I smile brightly and back out of his touch. “I won’t be long.”
I walk in the opposite direction as the others and slip my shoes off, stuff the socks in them, and carry them as I let my hot feet soak in the cold water. It feels amazing, and I don’t even have to worry about a critter coming along to take my foot off for lunch.
It’s different here. Relaxing. Quiet.
And it’s made me long for home. Not the noise or the stress from work and responsibilities, but my family. I think they would like it here. Well, Eli would tolerate it. He’s the definition of workaholic, but I remember times when we were kids and we’d splash in the water the way Todd and Violet are now as adults.