Kiara is still frozen and my heart hurts.
“You know I tried to apologize?” I say, my voice quiet.
“What? No you didn’t.”
“I did, plenty of times. Didn’t you think it was weird that I kept asking to be on group projects with you and I waited for you after class? You kept avoiding me and making these snide comments, so eventually, I snapped back.”
I look at my hands, seeing as she won’t meet my eyes. “Then the photo got published, and I was in a mess of trouble. And now I’m here. Sitting on a mountain hoping that you’ll forgive me. Or, at least not push me off.”
Kiara is a stone statue and I’m staring down, hoping she understands. There are no words that could cover how ashamed I feel for my behavior.
After two minutes, she reaches for her camera. She lifts her sunglasses to look through the viewfinder, but I can see the pain behind her eyes. “I won’t be pushing you off the mountain. At least not today.” She sighs. “We both messed up.”
“We did,” I agree. “But now we’re here, taking photos. And you get to kick my butt with your amazing shots.”
“Amazingly DULL shots.” She rolls her eyes, her cute half-smile coming back.
I laugh, feeling elated. I’d do anything to see her smile. And then, I know what we need to do.
“I have an idea,” I say. “Come with me.”
She looks at me, rather bemused, and I grab her hand and we both jog down the mountain. By the time we reach the cabins, I’ve got a plan.
“Where are we going? What’s going on?” she asks. The other students are still waking up and getting ready, so we have a bit of time.
“Put on your bathing suit if you want to find out. And leave your camera.”
“Leave my camera? It’s like you don’t know me.”
I smile, grabbing her hand. “Just trust me.”
“Why?” She frowns, clearly skeptical. There’s a war in her eyes as she debates following me — the insane “golden boy” from high school.
I shrug, feigning nonchalance. “Well, for starters, I didn’t push you off a mountain. Even though I so clearly could’ve.”
A smile crosses her lips, and she gives me a playful punch, turning on her heel.
“You sure have a funny idea of what ‘trust’ is, golden boy.” She retreats into her cabin.
Will she trust me? I stand for a moment, hoping that she comes back out.
After a few minutes, I shift from foot to foot nervously. There’s silence from her cabin.
It’s not looking good.
Then, her door pops open and she emerges wearing just her shorts and tank top over her bathing suit. Her camera is nowhere to be found.
“Great choice.” I grab her hand and lead her towards the forest on the other side of the cabins.
Over the last week, when I wasn’t trying to keep up with Kiara, or prank her, I’d spent some time exploring the grounds. There’s a sweet little spot that I doubt she’s come across, but it will change her perspective completely.
I just hope she likes it. I’m surprisingly nervous. When I was dating Isabella or the other girls at school, I never thought much about impressing them. But with Kiara, it’s a different ballgame.
We reach the creek flowing peacefully through the forest. It eventually runs into the lake, but I turn in the opposite direction, heading towards thicker trees. I’m careful to hold branches back so they don’t scratch her. She’s suspiciously silent.
“Scared yet?” I joke, squeezing her hand.
“A little scared you might murder me.”
“Don’t worry, we’re almost there.”
The trees thin, and the creek widens. We climb along the edge of a small canyon, the blue water shining bright just below. The water is gentle, flowing lazily through the canyon.
There’s a small perch not too far up from the water. I slow to a stop, and she stands close to me on the perch.
I put my arms around her before her questioning gaze meets mine.
I grin. “We’re going to jump.”
29
Kiara
Did Jonathan just say we’re going to JUMP? No. That can’t be right. Only a crazy person—
“Are you ready? Let’s jump!”
So he is crazy.
“I’m sorry. WHAT?”
I’m trying not to be distracted by Jonathan’s arms wrapped tight around me, soccer has done wonderful things for his body. But the minute he said “jump”, my stomach flipped over and not in a good way.
“Let’s do it!” His blue eyes dance.
“Are you insane? No way am I jumping from here,” I say, daring to take a peek over the ledge.
“As a matter of fact, I am insane. But so are you. In your own way.”
Every instinct wants me to run screaming from the ledge. “It’s like a 20-foot drop!”
Jonathan steps away, and I almost fall over. I’m feeling very vulnerable on the perch all alone.
“Get back here!” I command, grasping his arm and pulling him close to me for protection.
“What did I say back there?” He gazes into my eyes.
“Uh. That you’re a crazy person who has a death wish?”
He laughs. “I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
He rolls his eyes.
“Just trust me.” The end of the sentence almost forms a question. “I’m jumping with you.”
He slides his hand down my arm and then holds his hand out for me to take it. He turns towards the water.
There’s no reason for me to trust him. He’s just the golden boy, the star soccer player who gets his entire life handed to him. His kind and charming facade might truly be an act, and all of his confessions this morning could be false.
I’m aware of these things, these “facts” that seemed undeniable until this past week. But everything I thought I knew about Jonathan feels off. I believed his words this morning, I believed him because, for the first time, I think he was being sincere.
Is there more to Jonathan Wright than just the Edendale golden boy? I contemplate the question as he waits patiently for my decision. Somehow, for no sensible reason, everything in my gut tells me I can believe him about this too. I can trust him.
Wordlessly, I place my hand in his.
Facing the water, I take a deep breath. It feels absurdly high up.
“On three?” he asks.
“On three.” I swallow my nerves.
“One.”
We’re so high up, I’m light-headed.
“Two.”
And how cold is the water? What if there’s something in it, just waiting to devour me whole? I can’t do this.
“Three.”
I squeeze my eyes shut and my scream can be heard from miles away as I leap into space.
30
Kiara
Seconds later, a cold shock envelops me as we hit the water. My muscles freeze and I let go of Jonathan’s hand. I open my eyes and see the blue light of day shining at the surface.
All at once, my fears and inhibitions drop away. I have one goal — to reach the surface.
My muscles unclench as the mass of white bubbles around me fades. I kick my feet and flail my arms awkwardly, trying to remember my childhood swim classes. Every movement brings a shock of icy water swirling around me. I’ve never felt so awake, so alive.
My feet are working. I’m pleased to find that they aren’t contacting anything but fresh mountain water. There’s nothing beneath us, no nasty algae, no strange creek creature.
Slowly, I propel myself towards the surface, swimming through a beam of sunlight. My heart races as my arms slice through the freezing water.
I stop and float just beneath the surface, amazed that the sun’s rays can warm my face, even underwater.
Finally, as my lungs burn, I break through the surface towards the sun, letting out a loud laugh.
“That was amazing!” I exclaim, laughing and splashing as Jonathan r
ises to the surface.
But something’s wrong. His arms are a windmill of white and his mouth is full of water. “Help, I can’t swim!”
Jonathan’s flailing, his arms are wild and his voice is panicked.
Terror grips me.
I dog-paddle to him as fast as I can.
“I’ve got you!” I shout, battling through the mass of white water around him.
What do I do? How can I help him? Panic spreads through me.
I reach for him and I almost touch him.
He stops struggling.
He ducks below the surface and swims between my arms, emerging behind me.
Then he grasps my shoulders and dunks me under the surface.
When I come back up, sputtering, he’s laughing his head off.
“That is not how you’re supposed to treat your queen!” I shriek, swimming over to him and trying to get on his shoulders.
He shrugs me off, and I topple into the water, laughing hard. He grabs me around my midsection and tries to shimmy behind me to get out of the way of my arms. I whip around and try to get on his shoulders again.
Within moments, we’re wrestling. He’s circling his arms around my body, trying to dodge my attempts at punching his chest and dunking him. He swims just out of my grasp.
At one point, I finally grab the back of his neck, ready to plunge his face underwater, when he wraps me in a bear hug and I lose all downward momentum.
“No fair.” I laugh as he squeezes me tight to his chest. “You have a height advantage.”
Jonathan’s eyes are glittering, and he’s smiling. “As far as I can tell, the only advantage I have is that I have you in my arms.”
His face freezes, and I blush at his words. What? Is he saying he wants me in his arms? I don’t think that’s what he meant.
He breaks into bashful laughter and I laugh along with him, feeling his chest move beneath my fingers.
My body feels warm, electric. The world is brighter. Never in my life have I felt so alive, so exhilarated. Adrenaline pumps through my body and my face hurts from smiling.
Then our laughter dies as his eyes meet mine. There’s an intensity between us. One I haven’t noticed before.
Is he going to kiss me?
My heart speeds up as I realize that I want nothing more than this very moment, his lips on mine.
He places his hand tenderly at the back of my head and I lean in. The warmth of his body is intoxicating.
My teeth chatter together loudly, a repetitive clack clack clack that completely kills the moment.
Am I cold? I didn’t realize.
Jonathan examines my arms, which are covered in goosebumps. “You’re freezing.”
“I’m fine,” I say through my chattering teeth.
“Let’s swim to shore. It’s time we get back to the Inn, anyway.” Jonathan smiles and lets me go.
Ugh. Way to ruin the moment, Kiara. I’m cursing myself as we swim, wishing we could go back to just seconds before.
Jonathan wraps a big towel around me and rubs my arms up and down, warming me up. I smile as I take in his lovely face creased in concentration.
This morning is the most alive I’ve felt since… forever.
Then, a crazy thought comes to me. Could Jonathan help give my photos some life?
31
Kiara
I clutch my camera to my chest and run down the path towards the Inn. My white Converse kick up dirt, and I’m hoping they won’t look too scuffy by the time I get to the garden. I’m wearing a butter yellow mini-dress that Ava forced me to buy ages ago. It’s the first time I’ve worn it, and I have to admit, she has an eye for color.
I smooth my dress as I approach the bustling chatter in the garden. I glance over my shoulder at the lake — the sun is going down and we’re just about at the evening golden hour. It’s the perfect time to capture photos of the guests.
I walk into the garden party, a giant smile on my face. I’ll admit — I’m excited to see Jonathan.
It’s been a few days since we jumped into the river, he held me in his arms, and we shared our secrets on the mountain. Since then, every day with him has been exhilarating. My face hurts from the constant smiling and laughter. Wild butterflies break loose when he catches my eye.
And when I think about our almost-kiss? My lips tingle and I blush. It was almost a kiss, wasn’t it? Will he ever kiss me?
Silly, Kiara. Don’t go there. Past Kiara, the Kiara from last week — the one who never jumped feet first into a mountain creek, the one who hid her rejection from Glacier Journal, the one who hated Jonathan Wright — would never think or hope for such things.
Yet, as I head to the dance floor and gaze over the guests, I’m practically giddy with excitement.
“You okay, Ki?”
Nath’s voice breaks me from my reverie. I stop biting my lower lip and gazing dreamily into space, standing up straight instead.
“Why do you ask?”
Nath gives me a skeptical look. She can see right through me. “No reason. You’re just looking a little... flushed.”
I cough to hide another blush and turn away to look over the crowd once again. I can’t see Jonathan anywhere, and my heart falls slightly.
Where is he? I thought he wanted to hang around with the guests tonight? The crowd is a mass of colorful blues, pinks, yellows and greens. But there is a distinct lack of the one person I long to see — though I’d never tell him that.
With a sigh, I turn on my camera and get ready to take photos of the guests.
This afternoon, Jonathan and I were hanging out in the hammocks, swinging lazily. Jonathan convinced me to skip the Legacy summit so we could stay up late with the guests this evening.
“I think I’m gonna go to my cabin,” I said with a yawn. “It’s too bright out here to nap.”
Jonathan chuckled, and his chest rumbled beneath my cheek. “We can do something else if you want.”
What did he mean by that? I sat up straight in the hammock and glared down at him. His blue eyes widened for a second as he realized how that sounded.
“No, no.” He laughed. “I meant we can, like, play soccer or pool or something.”
I hopped out of the hammock and slipped my flip-flops back on my feet.
“You don’t want to play pool with me. I just don’t think you’ll be able to handle losing again.”
Jonathan burst into laughter and then circled his arms around me, bringing me close. His face was almost level with mine as I was leaning over.
“Is that what you think?”
His arms were strong around my waist. I glanced down at his lips. Ugh, I wanted to kiss him so bad.
And then he leaned away, swinging back into the hammock. “You may be winning the social media posts. But I have a few tricks up my sleeve, Garcia.”
“We’ll see about that, golden boy.”
With that, I jogged back to my cabin. My heart was racing and I couldn’t keep a blush off my face. It’s no wonder all I can think about is kissing Jonathan Wright.
When I woke up after my nap, the feeling was much less pleasant. I was already late for the garden party and I couldn’t find my camera. In a panic, I dove to the ground to check under my bed. I checked the dresser, the nightstand, my suitcase, everywhere. My camera was nowhere to be found.
Heart racing and feeling nauseous, I threw on my dress, brushed out my hair and ran outside. I looked on my balcony, in the bathroom block, at the student picnic table, but it wasn’t there.
My panic was rising quickly, and my vision was hazy.
The hammocks! I ran full-tilt towards the hammocks.
When I arrived, my heart exploded with relief. There it was. Sitting on a small table by the hammocks, exactly where I left it, untouched. Jonathan had vacated the area, and I figured he must not have seen it before he left.
“You’re fine!” I whispered to my camera, cradling it like a newborn.
Now, as I click on my camera — my beloved c
amera — I’m shocked for a moment that such a thing could have happened. That’s another thing Past Kiara would never have done. Leaving her camera behind, and with her nemesis? Blasphemy.
The screen powers up, and a photo appears.
The photo on the screen shows a piece of paper with my name.
Kiara
Heart racing, I click through. There’s another photo after this one.
meet
Another word on a piece of paper.
me
My heart races as I click through the rest of the photos. My breath is shallow, my face hot. Butterflies are no longer contained to my stomach, it’s as if they’re swirling around me, a nervous tornado.
I click through the photos again to make sure they say what I think they say.
They do.
Kiara, meet me at the gazebo at midnight. Yours, Golden Boy.
32
Jonathan
The full moon shines bright into the gazebo as I wait for Kiara to arrive. It’s midnight and I’m smiling even as my insides are twisting with nerves.
It’s been a few days since we cliff jumped and shared our secrets on the mountain. A few days since I had her in my arms. A few days since we almost kissed. It’s a moment I can’t get out of my head.
I should have kissed her. What if I don’t get another chance?
My feelings for Kiara have grown stronger every day. Every minute with her feels effortless and wonderful. We’ve fallen into a comfortable rhythm — in a way similar to our banter at school, but the emotions behind our conversations are so different. It’s crazy to think that my perceptions about her were dead wrong. At Edendale High, we were all about nagging each other. But now, she’s the only person I feel truly myself with.
We’ve also developed a routine, just the two of us. We wake up early most mornings to catch the sunrise on the Legacy summit. Somehow, it feels brighter and more beautiful each day. In the afternoons, we nap in the hammocks close to the cabins while the guests have lunch.
The Complete Legacy Inn Collection: Four Sweet YA Romances Page 58