Love Defined

Part 20

Chapter 19

"Piper my love; wake up." A warm and gentle hand shook at my shoulder and I knew the hand belonged to the sensual voice that whispered in my ear. I mumbled something incomprehensible and curled tighter into a ball. I sighed happily as I continued to dream. "Come on my love, wake up." The voice sounded again and I nodded but kept my eyes closed. I heard a soft chuckle and then I felt warm and wet lips touch my nose. There was something endearing about the small gesture.

Fingers railed softly across my exposed cheek and then the whispered voice returned, "I'll make it worth your while. Come on my love; open those gorgeous chocolate eyes of yours." I grinned and fluttered my eyes open slowly. "That's it; there are the eyes I love so much to look at."

I blushed and rubbed the sleep away from my eyes. I yawned and let my eyes look around and scan my surroundings. I was in a car but I didn't know where. All I could see was grass, trees and far too many bushes for my liking. "Scott, where are we?"

"The National Park," he answered. "Come on, I want to show you something."

I nodded and unclipped my seatbelt. Scott walked around my car and met me at the passenger door, where he stretched his hand out and helped me exit the car. Once I was secure on my feet, Scott locked the car and reached for my hand; immediately entwining our fingers together. He pulled me forward and began to lead me away from the path and up a hill.

"Where are we going? Shouldn't we be on the designated hiking path?"

He shook his head and continued down the heavily dense path. "We aren't going on a designated path."

The path we travelled along was only wide enough for one person which meant I had to follow behind Scott. The further up the hill we travelled, the more apprehensive I became. We were too far from civilisation and I was getting worried. My footing slowed and Scott turned to me questioningly. I gave him a shaky smile, though I was sure he could sense the uncertainty that swam in my thoughts.

"You can trust me Piper. You do trust me right?"

I sighed, "Of course I do; it's just that I don't like surprises and right now, you not telling me anything, is playing on my nerves."

"There's this place I discovered when I first moved here. I just want to show it to you, nothing more." I gave a stiff nod and let him pull me the rest of the way. Thankfully the hill we climbed was as steep as an ant hill; otherwise I would be contemplating Scott's death. The weather had cooled substantially as grey clouds grouped together above us. The air smelled fresh and I soon let my body relax completely and just enjoyed my stroll with Scott. Birds chirped in the distance and trees whistled in reply.

I felt at peace.

I looked around me and smiled at the array of beautiful flowered bushes and trees. The National Park was truly a place of beauty. My eyes caught on Scott and I frowned when I noticed the uneven walk he had. He seemed to be putting more pressure on his left leg, He didn't seem to be limping but I wondered how I had never noticed his unbalanced walk before.

"We're getting close." Scott stood before a low hanging and thick leaved branch and with some difficulty, managed to push it back far enough so that we could sneak through it. I had just stepped away from the branch when my breath caught in my throat. The view before me looked like something out of a dream; something you only ever saw in Disney movies or on postcards.

"Wow," I breathed. I couldn't take my gaze away from the beauty of it all. The small hill we had travelled up had only led us further into the National Park. There was no glamorous cliff view with a snapshot of the town below; rather we had come to what seemed to be the centre of the entire park. All around us were trees as tall as skyscrapers and each flowered with such unique colours and shapes. A large boulder of sorts sat in the centre and it allowed for a front row seat to an awe inspiring view.