“It’s okay,” I said, all my misgivings leaving me.
“Sorry for embarrassing you. You ready?” He had that irresistible smile on his face, the one that had attracted me to him in the first place. My traitorous heart sped up.
“Sure.” I looked toward the couple that had ridden with us. “Who was in the back seat of your car?”
“Oh, that’s Walt and Melanie—they’ve been together forever.”
“Do they go to our school?”
“Yep. They’re seniors, too.” He led me toward the group of five couples. Once there, he said, “Hey guys, this is Brooklyn, the birthday girl.” He pulled me in for a side hug.
Congrats and whoops and hollers rang out along with several Happy Birthdays. I nodded, feeling totally important and special and said, “Thanks,” unable to keep a huge grin from spreading across my face.
“Let’s get going,” Luke said, and the group walked toward the trail head. All five couples were holding hands as they entered the switchbacks in front of us. The boys all had backpacks over their shoulders. When Luke put his on, it pulled his T-shirt tight and accentuated his well-defined pecs. I blushed and made myself look away.
As we fell in line behind the others, Luke took my hand and we started up the hill. Like my hand knew just what to do, it grabbed his hand back.
“I can’t believe you’ve never hiked up here before. You live so close.”
“I know. Crazy, huh?” I hoped he didn’t hear the waver in my voice. My nerves were taking over. My feet sunk into the very sandy soil. “Will the whole hike feel like we’re walking on a beach?”
He laughed. “No. Just these switchbacks. They’re awful, but you’ll feel really good once we get out of them. If you look up, from here you can see where the wooden handrails end?”
“Yep,” I said.
“Well, that’s where the switchbacks end and the solid ground begins.”
I nodded, trying not to let panic set in. It looked like we’d be walking a mile uphill in deep sand. Then, true to form, I found the only big rock in the sand pit and stumbled forward.
Luke was right there to keep me from hitting the ground.
“If you didn’t know already, I’m quite the klutz.”
He smiled at me encouragingly. “I doubt that. I can tell by the way you swim that you are graceful and would never be clumsy. Way to go on second place, by the way. I had an event right after yours and couldn’t tell you right then.”
“It’s okay. I saw your race.” I smiled.
He grimaced. “I should have had it. I let Ryker take me, though. But when I did the 100 breast, I killed it. I got first and beat my best time by five seconds.” He tugged on my hand, and I looked at him.
“I think it was all the excitement about coming with you tonight that pushed me. I wanted to impress you. I watched all your races. You’re doing better.” He tapped his foot on mine.
“It’s okay, you can tell me I suck. I know it.” I looked at my feet.
He laughed. “It’s true. You’re not the best swimmer, but you’re only a sophomore. You’ve got plenty of time to become amazing. And you were the one that pulled your relay to third from last. You can be powerful when you choose to be.” He brushed his hand through his hair. “I think you’re amazing, win or lose.”
My heart flipped and my skin got all tingly. He had really great hair. I had the sudden urge to touch it like I’d dreamt about so many times. The light from the sun setting hit it just right, bringing out all the blond streaks. I tore my eyes away.
“What?” he said, glancing back at me.
“Nothing, just thinking about the relay. I couldn’t bear the idea that we would come in last. I had to change that.”
“Why don’t you always have that killer instinct when you race alone?” He squeezed my hand.
I huffed, partly because of the sand and I was winded, but also because I wasn’t sure why. “Good question. I don’t know that my heart’s in it.”
“Don’t you love to swim?” He looked disappointed.
“Not really. Sorry. My parents have this rule that we have to be involved in school. When I didn’t make cheer, I thought I’d try swimming.”
“Awww.” He truly looked let down. “I love it.”
“It’s not that I hate it…I just don’t love it like you do.”
“What do you love, then?”
“I love dancing, and I loved cheer.”
“Why didn’t you cheer then?”
“Well,” I looked away, a lump filling my throat.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay, really. I wasn’t good enough.” I stumbled again and after he caught me, I gave him a bitter smile. “It’s kinda the story of my life.” The pain of not making the team still stung.
“Don’t say that. I hate that you think that. You’ll get better with swim. You came in second on backstroke as a sophomore. Just think what you could do.”
The truth was that if Luke and the other guys, including Ryker, weren’t there, I would probably never go. Some days I just couldn’t handle it. Swimming as fast as I could and coming in last was the worst. A lot of times I thought I might hyperventilate from fear and embarrassment. It was just better on those days not to swim. Could Luke be right? Could I become a great swimmer?
“You’re not going to quit, are you?” His eyes went wide like he couldn’t imagine anyone ever quitting swim team.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I’ll stick this year out at least. Who knows, maybe I’ll learn to love it.”
“If you push yourself and taste a bit of success, I bet you will.” Sincerity oozed from him. He rubbed my hand with his fingers. I looked up at him and heat radiated through my chest.
To my surprise, we’d made it to the top of the switchbacks. It felt good to walk on firm ground again. It seemed like this was where the real trail started. I felt hot in my jacket and was tempted to take it off, but thought better of it. Now that we were off the hard, steep switchbacks, I’d probably get cold. The sun was setting.
“We’re about to get into the woods,” Luke said. “You won’t be able to see the view until we come back down and it will be dark, so now’s your chance to check it out.”
I turned around. He came up behind me and pressed his chest against my back. Then he put his hands on my shoulders, leaning his chin on the top of my head. He was so close I could smell his cologne. I closed my eyes and breathed it in. Feeling his hard chest on my back made my knees go soft, and I had this incredible urge to sigh. I stifled it.
When I opened my eyes again, bright oranges and reds exploded around the horizon. In less than half an hour, the sun would be gone. A terrible realization hit me. It was about to be very dark.
“Uh, I didn’t bring a flashlight.” I twisted my head up, and he moved back a step.
“No worries.” He patted his backpack. “I’ve got us covered. Let’s get going and try to make it to the falls before the sun fully sets.”
“Alright. The sunset was amazing, though.”
“Nothing like a bunch of pollution to give us awesome color.”
We laughed.
Suddenly I realized we were alone. My breath caught in my throat, and a trickle of fear dripped through me. “Where is everyone?”
“Somewhere ahead. Let’s catch up.”
Relief doused my fear, and I laughed somewhat nervously. Geez, Brooklyn, get it together, I chided myself. I wanted to catch them, but wasn’t excited about having to run.
He pulled me forward, not running full out, but certainly not walking, until we caught up with the first couple. Now, I was really hot. I slid my hoodie off, and Luke stuffed it into the backpack as we continued to walk.
“I can’t believe you’re at the back of the pack Luke,” one of the guys in front of us said. “You usually beat us all to the top.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll keep that trend going. I just didn’t want to miss the sunset. Did you see how bright th
e red was today?”
“We missed it.”
“You snooze, you lose.”
I noticed the guy Luke was talking to looked at my chest. Subconsciously, I rounded my shoulders. He squinted his eyes at me slightly. Did he know I saw him look? I gave him a hard smile then clenched my teeth. My toes curled in my shoes. I would never go out with him.
“See ya at the top,” Luke said, pulling me past them and farther up the trail.
I’d been able to catch my breath a bit and didn’t mind hurrying. I liked to win, too. We caught up with the next couple, but he sailed past them saying, “Later, losers.” The stream rushed beside us as we hurried along, and shadows got darker as time passed.
We didn’t catch up to the other two couples until we hit a section of rock we had to climb and slide across. I couldn’t see how we could pass them until we got off the rocks.
“Luke, we wondered what happened to you. Too bad you’re back there and we’re up here.” They looked down at us as we climbed. I was a bit afraid that Luke would leave me and bound ahead somehow now that he no longer held my hand, but he didn’t.
“Hey, I’ve got precious cargo here. I have to handle her with care.”
One of the boys snorted and the other chuckled. I smiled.
And he did handle me with care. He made sure I knew exactly where to put my hands and feet so that I wouldn’t fall off the slippery rocks. In a couple of spots we scooted on our butts across. I was glad we were doing this while it was still light. How would we do it with flashlights on our way back down?
Once our feet touched the dirt path again, it seemed to immediately go dark. Luke stopped suddenly, and I bumped right into him.
“Sorry,” I said, rubbing my temple that had banged into his shoulder.
“That was my fault. I should have told you I was stopping. I’ve got to get the flashlight out.”
“You mean flashlights, right?” I said, but it seemed he didn’t hear me. I heard the zipper unzip and some rummaging. Then, a beam of light sliced the air.
“Found it.” There was triumph in his voice.
Great. He’d only brought one. Guess I’d be sticking close to him for the rest of the night. Maybe it wasn’t too terrible. He’d been so nice to me, and I was starting to feel really good—giddy and flushed. Luke was acting like a prince, and I was his princess. This date was really turning out to be fun.
“We’re almost there, but we better hurry if we’re going to overtake the others. Are you up to it?”
“Of course, I’m no wimp.”
“The path is really narrow right here, but I know a shortcut. Your feet might get wet. Is that okay?”
The idea of having wet feet didn’t really appeal to me, but he was so excited, how could I tell him no and ruin his plan? “Sure.” I tried to be full of enthusiasm. “Let’s do it.”
“All right. Follow me.” He held my hand firmly and we moved down toward the sound of the river. I felt totally safe and secure even though I stumbled a few times, my feet getting caught on a branch or rock, but made it to the stream nonetheless. He shined the light over the water and to the other side. The water wasn’t too deep, but it was rushing over all the rocks.
“I’ll go first. When I’m across, I’ll shine the light on each rock you should stand on, okay?”
“All right, but if I fall in, you’re coming in too.” I laughed.
“I like the sound of that,” he said in a deep seductive voice.
“You would,” I said. My heart banged into my rib cage. He jumped across. From what I could tell, he barely got wet.
“Now it’s your turn,” he said. “Whatever you do, don’t fall in.” He snickered.
“I’m a dancer, remember, so my balance is amazing.” I went up on point.
“Is the dance floor slimed with algae like those rocks?”
I gulped and landed flat footed.
He laughed some more. “I didn’t mean to totally scare you. I just wanted you to know the rocks were slippery. Be careful, Ballerina.”
A tingle spread through my body and I pretended to be really scared, throwing my hands to my mouth and widening my eyes. I took the first rock and steadied myself. Only four rocks to go. On the third, my foot slipped and my opposite foot splashed into the water. Luke didn’t wait one second. He stampeded through the water to me and picked me up, carrying me to the other side, saving my right foot from the water.
“My knight in shining armor. You saved my life. I am forever indebted to you.” I put the back of my hand up to my forehead and leaned my head back.
On the other side, he cradled me in his arms. Warmth spread through me and I felt light and airy. I couldn’t see his face. The flashlight was aimed into the trees.
“I guess I should’ve done that in the first place.” I could feel his breath on my cheek. It smelled like mint and mixed with his musky cologne, it made my senses come alive. Daydreams I’d entertained about Luke kissing me filled my mind.
He kissed my forehead. A boy had kissed me. I couldn’t believe it. It was the most charming thing I had ever experienced. There I’d been so worried he was going to kiss me when I didn’t want him to—all that teasing, he’d gotten me so worried. He wasn’t anywhere near my lips. If I had known this sweet and innocent kiss was what he’d meant, I wouldn’t have been so upset. I felt dizzy with the relief and giddiness. When he set me down and grabbed my hand, the heat intensified. His kiss had melted me.
Once my feet were firmly planted on the ground, we started off again. The path was pretty smooth and obstacle free except for a few tree branches that Luke held out of the way for me. It felt good to be protected.
We curved along with the river and suddenly came upon a big rock to climb. He boosted me up and then climbed up himself. “I think we beat them. Hurry.” We walked along the top of the boulder to the other side. Moonlight shone down on us, filtered through the trees. I could start to make out shapes in the darkness. He jumped down. I had no idea how far it was to the bottom.
“Go ahead and sit down. Then push yourself off. I’ll catch you.”
I blinked several times trying to get my eyes to adjust to the new light. I didn’t hesitate. I totally trusted he would catch me. As I pushed off, they had adjusted just enough for me to see him, two or three feet below me. Not far. He caught me, helping me land softly on my feet. He pulled me into a brief hug. My mouth went dry and I bounced from foot to foot. It felt great to be so close to him.
“I think they’re coming.” After letting go of me, he tugged on his shorts, pulling them off before I could turn away—revealing a pair of swim trunks underneath.
I laughed. “Oh my heck, Luke, I thought you were stripping down to nothing right here in front of me!”
He made a face showing mock offense. “I would never! What must you think of me, mademoiselle, that you would assume such a thing? I am a gentleman!” He puffed himself up onto his toes in what he must have imagined was an impression of an Elizabethan knight.
I pushed his shoulder, bringing him back down to regular height. He grinned at me, and then without further comment, he took off toward the sound of rushing water, which I assumed was the waterfall. I saw him throwing his backpack and shirt off behind him and then his form disappeared into the night.
“Yes you are,” I whispered, giggling softly to myself. It was ridiculous, and I knew it, but I was utterly charmed.
Voices filled the space as the other two couples made their way into the opening.
“Crap. Someone’s already here,” I heard a male voice say.
“At least we beat Luke. The birthday girl must’ve needed some pampering and kept him from passing us.” It was the other guy. They both chuckled.
I called out to them. “No pampering needed here.” I moved toward their voices and as I did their outlines came into view.
“Are you kidding me?” someone said.
“How did you guys get past us?”
Before I could answer, someone else sa
id, “No way!”
“Yep!” I said. “He’s already in the falls. We kicked your can.”
The two boys shed their clothes down to their swim shorts and took off toward the falls. I joined the girls and headed toward the slamming, rushing sound of the waterfall. The spray lit lightly on my face and I got a chill. In the moonlight I could see the three boys in the water heading for the actual stream that burst from the rocks above. They had to be freezing. No way was I getting in.
Before the other two couples arrived, the three boys hopped out and dried off with a towel from their bags. They got dressed, shivering the whole time. Luke shivered violently and ran up to me grabbing me into a bear hug, pressing himself to me.
“Hey, you’re taking all my heat!” I tried to shout, but my face was pressed into his chest and my voice came out muffled. He smelled fresh and clean, like the mountain air around us, with just a hint of his cologne edging in.
“I’m so cold. You’ve got to warm me up.” He pushed his body to mine. Good thing he was dry.
That’s when I noticed my arms were sticks at my sides. I promptly wrapped them around him and ran my hands up and down his back. “And you think I’m hot enough to warm you? I’m freezing, too.”
“Oh, you’re definitely hot enough!”
I slapped at his chest and he laughed.
The final two couples arrived and those boys took their ritual bath in the water, but they only went in for a quick dip. Their girlfriends played their part well, helping the boys get warm.
One of the boys pulled out a ukulele and started playing Hawaiian love songs. Everyone took seats on either big rocks or fallen tree trunks. The moon was right above us now. Its beams would only light up the area for a short time, though. Trees would block it again, soon. The ukulele player’s girlfriend put her head on his shoulder and they looked really sweet. When all the boys joined in on the songs, it made the cold feeling spread to my fingertips and toes and I shivered. Luke pulled me closer.
“Getting cold?”
“I guess.”
“I should have brought a blanket. Sorry. I didn’t think it’d get cold this fast.”
“No big deal,” I said, right before the Happy Birthday song started.
First Kiss (Sweet N' Sour Kisses Page 5