The Absence of Olivia(46)
“I have to admit, I’ve never been hiking on a date before. It would have been a welcomed idea.”
“Well, I’m glad I could be a first.” I heard his words and then looked at him, giving him a shy smile much like the young girl had just given her date. He didn’t try to hold my hand, but the implication was the same. He wanted me to know I was his date, that he wanted me there in that capacity.
We continued down the path and every once in a while I stopped to take a few photos of something that caught my eye. He was exceedingly patient and even seemed interested in the process, asking a few questions about my camera or how the natural light affected the photo. Then, a few times, I’d finish taking a photo and find him looking at me with affection.
“It’s inspiring to watch you work,” he said with a smile. “Your face is cute when you’re concentrating. I mean,” he said, his smile widening, “you’re cute all the time. But when you’re concentrating, you get this little crinkle between your eyebrows.” His hand came up and his thumb gently brushed my face there. After a moment of reverently caressing me, he dropped his hand and wore a bashful smile. “Come on, the best part is coming up.”
I couldn’t answer him. I could only concentrate on trying to breathe normally, drawing air into my lungs and forcing it back out at a regular pace, so he didn’t pick up on the fact that my heart was pounding and palms were sweating. I’d been touched by a man before, been on the receiving end of a tender caress, but nothing had felt like that. No one had made time stop like Nate’s skin against mine.
After another thirty minutes of wandering along the path, winding through trees, and following a small stream through a narrow gorge, eventually we came to a place where the path ended.
“This is where the hike gets fun,” he said, his eyes lit up with excitement. I looked around, trying to find the next portion of trail to follow.
“Uh,” I said hesitantly. “Where exactly are we supposed to go?”
“Right through there,” he said, pointing straight ahead. I followed his finger and was still confused. The small stream we’d been following continued through a narrow crevasse. It looked like two strikingly tall rock walls with about ten feet between them. No path. No land. Only water between rock walls.
“Through the water?”
“Yeah. It’s only about waist-deep.” He said this as if wading through waist-deep water wasn’t a big deal.
“It’s only spring. That water has got to be freezing,” I said, my voice steadily climbing an octave. “And my camera…”
“Give it to me, I’ll keep it dry.”
“You want me to trust you with my camera? No one holds my camera.” I didn’t care if we were on a date or not, I wasn’t about to hand him my camera. He could have been the second coming of Christ; he wasn’t going to carry my camera.
He held up his hands but still wore a friendly smile. “No problem. I just thought I’d offer. I’m at least eight inches taller than you.” Then he shrugged and started to walk backward toward the stream.
“You’re serious about this?” I asked, still a little surprised it was happening.
“Come on, it’ll be fun. Promise.” He held his hand out to me, waiting for me to take it, his signature half-smile making him irresistible.
I sighed loudly, then reached out and took his hand, trying to ignore the zing of electricity I felt shoot through my body at his touch. “I wish you would have mentioned this beforehand. I might have worn a swimsuit or something.”
“Seriously?” he asked, his hand still gripping mine, paused mid-step. “Damn,” he sighed, hanging his head in mocked disappointment. “Opportunity missed,” he said, sounding distraught, making me giggle. “I’ll remember that for next time.”
“Yeah. Okay,” I said sarcastically through my laughter. “Oh, holy shit,” I said as I stepped into the frigid water, soaking the athletic shoes he’d told me to wear. “Oh, my God, that’s cold.”
“It’s not that cold,” he said, laughing as he held onto my hand and pulled me farther into the water, inch by inch. I was hissing with each step, hating the feeling of the cold water creeping up my calves, inching toward my thighs. Luckily, there were other people there making fools of themselves in the cold water as well, complaining just as I was at the glacial temperature.
Suddenly, a terrifying thought flitted through my mind. “Do you think there are fish in this water?”
He shrugged. “Probably.”
My eyes darted to the water and I tried to see through it, looking for indications of any creatures moving under the surface. I started to panic, thinking I was feeling something brush up against my skin under the water. “I swear to God, if my leg touches a fish, I’m gonna flip out.” The water wasn’t murky, but as was the way with the Pacific Northwest, the riverbed was full of rocks and dirt, making everything under the water look brown. I could see my feet, but it was hazy and unclear.
Nate, still holding my hand and leading me through the water, stopped and let out a loud laugh. His happiness made me temporarily forget I was, possibly, surrounded by fish, and I smiled along with him. When his laughter died down, he gave my hand a gentle squeeze, which somehow shot all the way to my heart, making it clench in my chest.