Chapter Three
Alex
“Ihave a feeling you’re a woman worth trying for.” The words flow from Noah’s firm mouth effortlessly, and I’m sure my cheeks are flushed with a lovely shade of crimson. I can’t remember the last time someone said something so sweet to me.
After getting out of my last relationship, I was afraid to trust someone again, even with the little bits and pieces of information that get traded during a first date. But Noah makes it feel simple.
Almost easy.
“Should we get going?” I’ve never gone hiking before, and I’m not much of an outdoor person, so this is a whole new experience for me. I’d almost asked if we could do something else, but Sophie convinced me this would be perfect.
“Sure.” He steps forward and his hand settles against the curve of my lower back as he leads me toward the beginning of the trail. My instinct is to shy away from his touch, but I breathe through the negative reaction and relax.
One of the things my ex always picked at me about was my weight. I was never thin enough for him and he’d always pinpoint little things and home in on them. I wasn’t very confident in myself to begin with, but after his constant harassment, I have a hard time finding anything I like about my body.
As we step foot on the actual trail, my nerves skyrocket, and I must tense up because Noah stops and pulls his hand from my back. “You all right?”
“Is this a terrible time to admit I’ve never done this before?”
“You’ve never hiked to the ‘M’ before?” Noah sounds shocked. And he should be. Everyone on campus has made the hike before, but not me. Not once in three years have I ever stepped foot on the walking trails around campus.
“No. Or gone for a hike at all.” I brace myself for his reaction, expecting something bad.
Noah blinks a few times and scratches his beard. His eyes dart down to my shoes, and then he seems to relax. “But you’re okay giving it a try? Otherwise we can do something else.”
His easy acceptance makes something break free inside of me, and I smile up at him. “I’d love to go. As long as you’re okay if we’re slow. I’d love to do this with you.”
“We can go as slow as you want.”
On impulse, I reach out and take his hand. Shocks of awareness shoot up my arm and I let out a small gasp. Even Noah’s cheeks flush a darker shade of pink above the edges of his beard.
We take the first part of the hike in silence, nodding to other people as they climb back down from higher up. A few women give Noah appraising looks, and one winks at me. Unsure how to react, I offer them friendly smiles and keep my focus on Noah as much as I can. He’s a fantastic distraction from what other people might be thinking, but I also want to make it clear that we’re together.
A possessive need to show other people that he’s mine, that we’ve picked each other, rides me hard, and I try not to act crazier than I feel. Even though my palm is clammy and gross, I’m not going to be the one to let go first.
Just before we reach the “M,” an older couple comes down from past us, and the woman leans in to whisper, “Have fun, sweetie. Looks like you’ve got a good one.”
Flustered, I turn back to look at her, but she keeps moving away. Noah leads me a few more steps until we reach the leveled-off area surrounding the big concrete letter. One person is standing there next to a bright red and white check blanket with a huge picnic basket set in the center.
The girl steps forward. “Everything should be set up. I’ll wait at the trailhead until I see you come down.” With that, she slips past us and disappears down the trail too.
“This is for us?” No one’s done anything like this for me before, and I fight the urge to cry.
“Yeah.” He lets go of my hand and rubs at his beard, tugging at the end in a nervous gesture that’s completely endearing. “I had her pick up a little bit of everything since I wasn’t sure what you’d like.”
“This is perfect.” On impulse, I lean upward, straining on my tiptoes to reach his cheek, planting a kiss on it. His hand moves to my waist, holding me close against his body and sending more frissons of awareness racing through me. Since he’s arching me forward, it forces me to rub all down the front of him when I settle back on my heels.
I duck my head so he won’t see how much a simple kiss on the cheek is affecting me.
“C’mon. Let’s eat.” He guides me toward the blanket, and before I can sit, he holds out a hand to help me down. Together, we open the basket and dig through the treasures that are hidden inside.
While we eat, the conversation flows just as naturally as it did during our phone calls. The only time we stop talking is to look up and savor the blazing colors of the sunset. From our spot halfway up the mountain, you can see the layout of the campus and the myriad of reflections in the windows of every building.
When it starts to get chilly, Noah helps me stand, and we start making our way back down the trail. At our cars, I stop. I don’t know if I want to say goodbye or ask him if he has anything else planned for tonight. One thing I do know is this has been magical.