Imperfect

Twenty-Three - Alyssa:

"I can't," I gasped, my knees buckling beneath me. I eyed a large boulder beside the footpath and dragged myself towards it, barely within reach before I completely crumpled. "I can't go any further."

Up ahead, the guys slowed to a stop and glanced back at me. None of them looked even the slightest bit winded, meanwhile my lungs wheezed and my legs wobbled, unable to hold my own weight anymore. "Come on," Ben yelled, not sounding even a little breathless from the climb, "we're nearly at the top."

I frowned, glancing up to where the pathway seemed to disappear into the clouds. "I have a little trouble believing that," I rasped with a shake of my head. They'd told me it was only ten more minutes to the top about three times already but we'd been walking for a few hours.

"My legs will drop off if I go any further," I grumbled. "You guys go without me."

Without looking back at them, I sprawled across the huge boulder, my back against the smooth rock and my face tilted up towards the sun. It was hot today, so hot that I couldn't wear the leggings I'd been living in since we arrived without the black fabric absorbing the suns warmth and causing my legs to burn.

Now, my shorts were plastered to my thighs and my loose t-shirt was drenched in sweat from our hike. My feet most likely had blisters on them, my face was red and sweaty and my hair was a mess. I hated it, and, at the same time, I'd never felt like this. I'd spent my whole life putting effort into my appearance, always having my hair done, nails done, makeup flawless, and clothes without a crease in them. I'd never worn leggings or hoodies in my life, and while I would never admit it to anyone else, I could admit to myself that they were much more comfortable than dresses and heels.

"Need some water?"

I opened my eyes and then slammed them shut again when the blinding white sunlight sliced between my eyelids. Raising a hand to shield myself this time, I blinked a couple of times before seeing Cal standing at my feet, an amused look on his face. "Please," I rasped, my throat dry from heavy breathing. I was certain I was extremely dehydrated from the amount of sweat I'd produced too.

He laughed before diving into his rucksack and retrieving a bottle. "Here."

I smiled weakly, unwilling to acknowledge that he was right when he told me I should bring my water. The guys had offered me a rucksack but I'd refused sine I had no interest in carrying anything up a mountain. Safe to say, I was regretting it now.

I downed half the contents of the bottle, gulping down the cold, fresh river water. I glanced up to see the guys getting further and further away, becoming small figures in the distance. "You don't have to stay with me. Go ahead with them and I'll meet you when you start walking back down."

He shook his head before snatching the bottle from my hand and drinking. I couldn't help but frown. He was as sweaty as I was and when I studied him, I could see a few droplets on his upper lip, which was now clasped around the rim of the bottle. "We're not coming back this way," he answered when he'd finished. If he noticed my disapproval at having to share the water bottle, he didn't comment on it.

I frowned when his words settled. "What? You're kidding?"

A smirk flickered across his lips before he turned away to shove the water bottle back into the bag. "Nope. So, you're climbing this thing whether you like it or not." He slung the back over his shoulder and then turned back to me with a raised brow. "Ready?"

I groaned as I rose from the boulder, my legs protesting as I did. My feet ached, my thigh muscles burned and my lungs felt like they could cave in at any given moment. "Not in the slightest," I mumbled.

Cal ignored me and strode onwards, his long legs carrying him a fair distance from me in just a few seconds. "Come on," he called over his shoulder, "this is helping you build up your strength, remember."

I rolled my eyes at his retreating back before plodding along behind him. The climb wasn't high, they'd told me, nor was it far, but it was a steep incline. I'd been informed that the view from the top would be well worth the effort but at this point, I wasn't sure anything would make the exhausting and painful journey worth it. Still, I ploughed ahead, following behind Cal who regularly stopped to wait for me to catch up to him.

"We must be close to the top by now, surely?"

I heard his laugh. "We've only been walking for about three minutes."

"We've been out for hours though!"

"An hour," he corrected.

My jaw nearly hit the ground. "You're kidding? Is that all? I feel like I need to sleep for an entire week to recover from this and you're telling me it's only been an hour of walking?"

He turned to me from where he stood a few feet ahead. "That's right. You know, considering you're always going on about being healthy and eating properly, you're really unfit."

I frowned at what his statement insinuated. "I don't like getting sweaty."

Cal only rolled his eyes. "Come on, not far now and we can sit down at the top and have something to eat."

I couldn't have cared less about the food but the idea of sitting down for a while was the only thing that motivated me to carry on after him. It was a long, long pathway that wound up and around a mountain but after a little while longer, the top came into view. "Is this it?" I muttered to Cal as we approached, scanning our surroundings. Either side of us were more mountains, taller than this one, blocking any kind of view there might have been.

"Just wait," he told me, striding ahead to where the others stood.

I joined them and faltered when I saw what they were looking at. The huge lake below had water so crystal clear it was like one huge, glittering diamond shining in the sunlight. Around it, grass that was the most luminous green seemed to be completely untouched, swaying from the gentle breeze. Tall trees housed a number of chirping birds so far below us it felt surreal to watch them soar far beneath my feet.

"Wow."

I felt breathless from the sight in front of me. I'd never seen anything more beautiful in my life. The whole place looked like something out of a storybook, somewhere so untouched by people that it had remained beautiful throughout time, and would remain beautiful long after I'd laid eyes on it.

On one of the taller peaks to our left, a river cascaded over a drop, creating a thunderous waterfall, the sound so loud it drowned out any other noise, even from such a distance. "This is amazing," I muttered to the guys who finished ogling at the view and began unloading the food.

I joined them, making sure to keep facing the spectacular view so I could make the most of it. Suddenly, the ache in my legs and feet seemed trivial. The mountains around us stood taller than the one we were on, and yet, it felt like I was on top of the world as I stared down at the view.

We ate a few sandwiches and caught our breath before beginning the descent. Each step brought us closer and closer to the waterfall until we slowed to a stop behind it, where a crevice in the rock resided. The sound of the water crashing down in front of us was deafening, so much so that I couldn't hear any of the guys when they spoke. Back spray soaked my clothing, but I stepped as close to the edge as I could, wanting to feel the cold rush of the water. I reached out a hand slowly, flinching a little from the sharp pain as droplets hammered against my skin. The pressure of the water was intense, but I so desperately wanted to stand beneath it, as though it had the power to wash everything away. All the good, all the bad, every memory I didn't want to keep.

"Come on Lys," Cal called from behind me.

When I turned, the rest of the guys had already started to move away after snapping a few photos of the view. With one last longing glance, I made a promise to myself to come back here one day and then trailed after them.