Serenity Falls(16)

“Um… I’m not going up there.” I stand stock still, not moving from my position.

“Why not?” By the smirk on his face, I can tell that he’s enjoying this. Only a person horrified of heights would look as terrified as I do.

“I don’t know. Maybe because I don’t want to die.” I point at the steps, the boulders, and the night sky to prove that my reason sounds logical.

Traveling back down the steps, he offers his hand to me. “I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.” His earnest voice is what propels my hand into his. This time, when he holds my hand, it’s different. Our fingers intertwine and he holds them close to his body, letting me feel his warmth through his shirt.

I take a deep breath and follow behind him. My heart feels like it’s going to jump out of my body at any moment. Sweat begins to bead on my forehead as I continue to climb higher and higher. After ten steps, I ask with a quivering voice, “How much further?”

“Not much. We’re almost to the top. Actually, it’s only one more step.” He steps onto the top of the boulder, and pulls me up beside him.

Speechless, I look around me. The stars and full moon are the only things lighting up the night sky. I’ve never seen them look close enough to touch. So big. So bright. The glow from the stars casts down on the soft aquamarine color of the creek below. The beauty of this spot has me thoroughly enchanted. My nerves disappear and my heart rate begins to slow to normal.

“What do you think?” Wes asks from behind me.

“It’s absolutely stunning,” I reply, breathlessly.

“Come here.” He pulls me down beside him.

I smooth my dress beneath me, trying to be as graceful as possible when I sit. With my legs outstretched and my boot-covered ankles crossed, I lean back on my hands and look straight up at the bewitching, Texas, night sky. With the lantern perched in front of us, our silhouettes mirror our postures against the soft rock. “I’ve never seen the stars look so big or so close.” I peek at him out of the corners of my eyes. Wes sits next to me with his knees bent, his arms resting on top of them.

“I haven’t been here in a while.” He looks off in the distance.

“Well, thank you for letting me come with you.” I inhale deeply. The wind carries the sweet scents of Muscadine and honeysuckle. It permeates my senses and reminds me why I love summer and the country so much.

“So, you and Leslie, huh?” I ask nonchalantly.

“You saw that?”

“How could I not? She plastered herself all over you as soon as she saw you.”

“We dated in high school. She wasn’t happy when I left for Dallas.”

I’ve found out all that I need to know about Leslie. They dated, past tense, past being the only word I’m choosing to focus on. “How old are you? No offense or anything, but you must be at least thirty to be in the PBR.” My curiosity has gotten the best of me, and I can’t help but ask. “Sorry. I didn’t intend for that to come out so rude.”

“It’s all right. I don’t think I’ve ever been asked my age so straightforward like that, but if you must know, I’m twenty-five.” He looks at me as he answers. My wide eyes and jaw hitting the ground are just the expressions he’d been waiting to see. Wes reaches over, and with his finger, he lifts my bottom jaw, slowly, softly closing my mouth. “Don’t seem so shocked, Kenleigh. I’m really good at what I do.” He lets his finger linger under my chin before dropping his hand and placing his arm back on his knee.

Before I make a bigger ass of myself, I think before I speak this time. “How long have you been riding?”

“Since I was twelve. So, about thirteen years now. How about you?”

“How about me what?” I know he wants to ask my age, but I wonder if he’ll actually do it.

“I’m not gonna ask you. My momma didn’t raise a fool,” he replies with a burst of laughter.

“Wise man you are,” I reply, pointing at my temple. “I’m nineteen, but I’ll be twenty soon.”

“So, that would make you a sophomore in college?”

“I’m starting my sophomore year after summer break. I took a year off after high school. I decided to work and save up some money.”

“What did you do? Work in a clothing store?” He laughs at me and bumps his shoulder into mine.

“No, ass.” I bump his shoulder right back. Because my butt is going numb, I lay back on the rock and cross my arms over my stomach. “I worked on a farm, helping break in new horses, and mucking stalls. You know, all that fun stuff. On the weekends, I volunteered for the Red Cross, accepting donations and distributing them where ever they needed to go.”