On A Night Like This

Chapter One

-Jayce-

He rubbed his forehead as he stared at the screen of his work computer. He knew he needed to wrap up this project by the end of the day, but it was the last thing he could focus on. Thoughts of his ex-boyfriend and the end of his apartment lease cluttered his mind.

"Jayce."

He turned, trying not to look directly at the harsh fluorescent lights above him. His manager, Janelle, was standing at his cubicle, her arm resting on top of the beige wall.

"I need to speak with you in my office."

"Sure." He locked his computer and followed Janelle down the hall, wondering what this was about. Janelle checked in with everyone on a quarterly basis, but he had already met with her a couple weeks ago.

When they entered Janelle's office, his mouth went dry when he saw one of the men from HR was already sitting in front of Janelle's desk. That wasn't a good sign.

He sat down in the other chair, swallowing hard as his gaze darted between his manager and HR. He was pretty sure he hadn't done anything wrong, and last he heard there were no issues with his performance.

"As you know," Janelle began, "we're merging with one of our competitors. Unfortunately, we're not able to keep everyone. Your position has been made redundant."

-

An hour later, Jayce was standing outside waiting for the bus, holding a cardboard box filled with his things. It hadn't fully sunk in yet. He felt numb, but tears began to prick his eyes and he fought to blink them back.

Redundant. He was no longer needed at his job, just like he was no longer needed by his ex-boyfriend, or by his landlord, or by his family.

As the bus rambled along the streets of Seattle, he looked down at the box in his lap. He didn't know what he was going to do about his current situation. Even though he'd been given three months' notice that his landlord was selling the condo he was renting, he hadn't found another place yet. He had thought he'd move in with Zach, but Zach had broken up with him a week later.

"You're a nice guy, Jayce, but I don't see this going anywhere."

The painful memory made him tighten his grip on the box. He stared out the window instead, trying to distract himself. The mountains loomed in the distance, white clouds twisting around them. It was almost October and the rain had started again.

The idea came to him as he watched the clouds unfurl and drift, hiding one part of the mountains and then revealing another. He could pack up his apartment, put all of his things in storage and head out to the mountains for a week. He'd only ever been on one hike - the popular Rattlesnake Ledge - but Washington was known for its scenic mountain ranges and endless hiking opportunities. People always raved about nature and how good it was for both physical and mental health. Maybe spending a week in nature was exactly what he needed to clear his head and start again. After that, he could spend a few nights in a hotel while he buckled down and found a new job and a new place to live.

-

Three days after losing his job, all of his possessions had been moved into a storage unit and he'd completed the move-out process with his landlord. He was now standing in the middle of the flagship REI store, looking around in amazement at the gear surrounding him. He had no idea there'd be so many options. He didn't have the first clue where to start.

As he looked down at his feet, he subtly nodded his head. Boots. He needed boots. He'd also need hiking clothes, a backpack, a tent, and a sleeping bag. For a minute, he felt guilty about the money he was about to spend, but he convinced himself that he needed this. A short vacation after a series of bad events was reasonable.

Picking out a couple pairs of hiking pants, shirts, and a jacket was easy enough. While looking at boots, a salesman helped him choose a pair that were sufficient for day hikes and short backpacking trips. The tents and sleeping bags all looked the same to him. He tried reading the information accompanying them, but he quickly got overwhelmed. He picked a lightweight tent and sleeping bag meant for backpacking, and then selected a large backpack. He didn't know anything about hiking or backpacking, but he knew REI carried high quality gear, so he wasn't too concerned.

Outside of the store, he placed all of his new things inside the backpack. As he lifted it and put it on, it seemed heavy at first, but after adjusting all the straps the weight lessened considerably. He knew it would get lighter over time as he ate more of the food he'd bought. He squared his shoulders and began walking to the bus stop.

-

Several hours later, he was staring up at the formidable mountain peaks in front of him. It had been a long bus ride, and then he'd had to hitch a ride the rest of the way. He'd been dropped off at the trailhead by a friendly older man who was accustomed to giving rides to PCT hikers.

He hadn't done a ton of research online, but a picture of Cutthroat Pass in the North Cascades had caught his eye. On one side of the pass, a lake was nestled snug against the rocky mountain, evergreen trees filling the landscape around the shore of the lake. From the top of the pass, views of mountains stretched in all directions. That was all he needed to see to make his choice.

Since it was late in the day at this point, he knew he wasn't going to get far. The lake was about two miles from the trailhead, so he set out with the intention of camping there for the night. Tomorrow, he'd make his way up to the pass.

The trail was a wide dirt path with the occasional rock half buried in the dirt. Bushes with dark red leaves lined the trail, contrasting with the forest green of the trees. It reminded Jayce of Christmas. Further along, some of the foliage had turned into bright oranges and yellows, with bursts of color drawing his eyes from one set of leaves to the next.

Despite how much he was enjoying the scenery, he was already a bit tired when he reached the lake. While he definitely wouldn't consider himself out of shape, he wasn't used to hiking. His visits to the gym three times a week only included strength training. He found himself wishing he had done some cardio once in a while.

He set his pack down under a tree and walked out to the edge of the lake. It wasn't huge and the shore was muddy, but it had a stunning backdrop. Rocky mountains rose high behind the lake, with green and gold trees dotting the landscape in the foreground. It was absolutely beautiful. Transfixed, he sat on a log near the shore. The water was completely still and the quiet was peaceful.

After spending a half hour sitting and watching the lake, his mind clear of any of his problems, he got back up and wandered over to his pack. Before it got dark, he needed to find a camping spot and figure out how to set up his tent. On the way in, he had seen a sign saying camping wasn't allowed within a quarter mile of the lake, so he walked back out towards the main trail. Once he was past the no camping signs, he found a flat spot near some trees. He unpacked the tent and laid it out on the ground. Fortunately, everything was color coded. He threaded the poles through the loops on top and secured them at each corner, and the tent went up easily.

Digging through his pack, he found some beef jerky and a Clif bar. He wolfed them down before crawling into his tent and getting in his sleeping bag. As he lay there, he watched the sun go down, the light slowly disappearing and creating long shadows in the forest. It didn't bother him that it was getting dark. He felt at peace being surrounded by such a gorgeous setting, with the only noise being a faint breeze and the insects singing. After his long day of travel and the hike to the lake, he quickly drifted off to sleep.