Nicki
We've hiked for about an hour, following a beautiful river that snakes through the cliffs. We're surrounded by oak, pine, and maple trees.
It's cooler today than it's been in a while but sweat is still soaking the front of my T-shirt and running under the straps of my backpack.
Bey finally stops, and we lean against a boulder and pull out our water bottles.
"Those are the only native Caddo maple trees left," she says, pointing to a stand near the river.
"The Plains Indians used this canyon as a winter camp," she goes on. "Then the settlers going west used it as a stop on the California Road to get fresh water and fix their covered wagons. You can still see the wagon ruts along the trail."
She takes a swig of water as I idly search the ground for signs of the long-ago settlers.
"I used to come camping here when I was in Scouts, so I know the place pretty well."
"You were a Girl Scout?"
"Yep."
She sticks his water bottle in the outside pocket of her backpack and shrugs.
"I made it all the way to Eagle Scout. Pretty sure it was the only thing I ever did that my old man approved of."
I stand there, awkwardly staring into the trees as I gulp water.
Bey's words send a ripple of worry through me. Between the two of us, we sure have a crapload of baggage to carry around. But I think she has it worse than me.
I'll probably never get over the loss of my mom. And I have issues with my power-tripping grandmother.
But at least I always knew my parents loved me unconditionally.
It's obviously different for Bey.
And then there's the whole war thing that I can't even begin to figure out. She's obviously traumatized, and she won't even talk to me about it.
So how can we make this work? Whatever this is.
Do I want to fall in love with Bey? Have I done that already? Or is it just a childish crush on my part? Is it purely lust for him?
I'm so focused on my seesawing emotions that it takes me a moment to realize Bey is staring intently at me. She's got that same searching look that gave me goosebumps that first night, when she climbed the tree and we kissed on the roof.
I smile tentatively, feeling my insides melt at the way her eyes are lit up by the late-morning sun. But then, a shadow moves across her face, and it gives me a chill.
Do I do that to her? Is it her complicated past?
You always overthink things. Just be in the moment. Just enjoy right now.
Lifting my face toward the sky, I breathe in the pure air, determined to ignore the shivery sense of foreboding that keeps trying to surface.
I want to be happy. I want to forget about everything except this day with Bey.
I think about how it felt earlier, rappelling down the cliff.
"I can't believe I went down that cliff three times by myself!" I burst out, sounding like a boastful little girl. "I'm feeling awfully badass right now."
Bey throws her head back and laughs, then pulls me closer as a goofy grin spreads over my face.
"You are badass, Nicki. I was so fucking proud, watching you bounce down that rope."
I tilt my smiling face up, and her lips find mine. We stand there for several moments before she finally pulls back.
"Not much further," she says, threading her arms through her bulging backpack. "We need to get there so we have plenty of time to get you back for your meeting."
Several of the ROTC guys had grinned and elbowed each other when Bey pulled a blanket, firewood and matches out of the trunk of her car and stuffed all of it into her large backpack.
She wouldn't let me carry anything in my smaller pack except snacks and a couple of water bottles.
Henderson had leaned on Bey's car, arms crossed, eyeing us with a smirk.
"Wow, ma'am," he said. "Looks like you've got quite a romantic interlude planned."
"Get your ass away from my car, Henderson," Bey snapped, glaring at him. "And keep your thoughts to yourself."
When we said goodbye to the group a few minutes later, Henderson had been bold—or crazy—enough to kiss my hand.
"Great meeting you, beautiful," he said. "If Knowles doesn't treat you right, you can always give me a call."
The murderous look he got from Bey wiped the grin off his face.
Bey had turned without another word and stalked down the trail so fast I had to run to catch up.
She didn't speak again for several minutes, at least not to me. But I could hear her mumbling about what awaited Henderson when he got back to campus.
I couldn't help chuckling. Bey being jealous over me was kind of cute.
"You're not really going to make Henderson scrub toilets, are you?" I ask now as she helps me over a couple of boulders that have fallen into the trail.
Bey's face darkens. "That smartass will be lucky if that's all that happens to him," she says as I stifle a smile.
By the time she extends her hand to help me cross the river on several slippery, moss-covered rocks, I'm even more hot and sweaty.
Bey pulls me safely to the other side and tells me to watch my head as we duck under a bluff.
She's smiling now; she's finally forgotten about Henderson.
There's barely enough room in front of us to scramble single file around a curve.
Once I've made my way carefully around the rocks, I come to a stop and gasp at what I see.
The river tumbles down the bluff right in front of me and cascades into a dark pool below that's surrounded by more mossy rocks.
And just beyond the rocks, a ring of purplish green maple trees encircles the pool.
The trees are reflected in the water, and the sun lights up the whole scene as if it has all been deliberately arranged.
It's like stepping into a vibrantly colored oil painting.
"Oh, Bey!" I gasp. "This is so beautiful."
A smile of pure pleasure creases her face and warms her eyes. "I knew you'd like it."
She takes my hand, and we make our way down one side of the bluff until we are standing next to the waterfall, looking down into the pool.
A cool mist settles on my face and arms.
Bey slips her backpack off. "Come on, there's something else I want to show you."
Carrying the backpack in one hand, she presses her back against the rocks and inches her way behind the waterfall, with me following.
A few feet in, the rocks curve away, and we find ourselves standing in a cave that's about ten feet deep and maybe seven or eight feet wide.
"Bey," I say, setting my backpack on the ground and squinting into the sun lighting up the water. "This is amazing!"
She smiles and nods as she empties her backpack and spreads out the blanket. Then she quickly builds a fire.
"Wow, you thought of everything," I say, pulling off my shoes and socks and extending my feet into the ice-cold waterfall.
After a moment, Bey does the same.
"That feels so good," I murmur.
We stay there, toes wriggling in the water and our heads warmed by the crackling fire, for several minutes.
Then I sit up, tucking my wet feet under me. I've come to a decision.
Bey shifts toward me, her eyes searching my face. They run over my body, the longing in them obvious. It makes my skin tingle; it's like her spiky black eyelashes are brushing me all over.
I lean forward and take her face in my hands. Then I kiss her. It's a long, deep, satisfying kiss.
"Bey" I whisper. "I don't want to wait anymore."
Her mouth falls open. "Nicki—"
I put a finger on her lips to silence her and push her shoulders back as I straddle her.
Then I pull my shirt over my head and quickly unlatch my bra, throwing it aside.
Bey moans.
"God, Nicki," she starts, "I—"
I lean forward and kiss her again. "I'm tired of waiting," I say, still whispering. "But I'll stop if you want me to."
Her gaze brushes my breasts, hanging inches from her face. Then Bey's eyes bore into mine again.
"Do you want me to stop?"
Bey closes her eyes briefly and shakes her head.
"Fuck, no," she growls. "I do not want you to stop."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for reading!
Don't forget to Vote & Comment.