Chapter Ten #2
Her laugh is genuine as we continue walking.
"I dunno… It all just feels… Easier here. Simple without being boring. People smile. People talk, and listen." She pauses, and her voice goes softer. "And I like who I am here better. I don't know if it's because it's new and fresh. And maybe I've just been in this slump for so long."
I stop walking, turning to face her. She meets my eyes, and there's something raw there, something she's not used to showing.
"Why do you think you're in a slump?" I ask gently.
She exhales, looking away at the mountains rising in the distance.
"Mother's already planning my life for the next six months.
Galas, introductions… blah, blah, blah." She shakes her head.
"I keep telling myself I'll push back, but then I'm sitting there with Maxwell-fucking-Pemberton, smiling and nodding like a trained seal. "
My jaw tightens at the name invading my head for the second day running, but I keep my voice steady and supportive. "You're not a seal. You're a woman who's been conditioned to please people who don't deserve it."
"I know." She looks back at me, eyes bright. "I know that. But knowing and doing are different things."
"You'll soon work it out." I step closer, cupping her face in my hands. "For now, what if we just save pieces of here to take back with you. Maybe that will help you work out why you feel so different here."
She leans into my touch, and I press a kiss to her forehead before pulling back and tapping the thermos.
"Come on. Let's keep moving."
We walk in silence for a while, the rhythm of our steps syncing up until it feels like we're one organism navigating the trail. A chipmunk darts across the path, and Piper gasps, delighted at the sight of rare wildlife.
"Oh my god, look at him!" She clutches her mouth in excitement. "He's so cute!"
"Oh, yeah. That's Terrence." The chipmunk pauses mid-scamper, tiny paws clutching an acorn as if listening to my absurdity. "He pays rent to the bears every Tuesday. He's also known for hosting killer Thursday night poker games. Full house of squirrels, usually."
She laughs so hard she has to grab my arm for balance, and I file the sound under sacred, right next to the way she says my name when she comes.
A pair of hikers pass us going the opposite direction, an older couple I see regularly on my own walks. They're always wearing matching fleece vests and look like the kind of people who've been doing this together for decades.
I picture myself doing that with Piper as they wave. To my surprise, Piper waves back with this proud little move like she's earned a new local badge.
"Afternoon!" the man calls.
"Beautiful day!" Piper responds, and I swear I fall a little deeper.
"Well, well… Seems you've mastered the Stone River wave," I observe, grinning sideways at her. "Very authentic. Locally-approved."
"I've been practicing." She smiles smugly. "Though I'm still working on the head nod. Is it more of a chin-up or chin-down situation?"
"Depends on how well you know them. Chin-up for acquaintances, chin-down for friends."
"What about for hot mountain rescue guys who leave welcome notes on bathroom mirrors?"
My ears go pink. "That's a full salute, ma'am. Maybe even a smile if they're cute."
"Good to know the protocol."
The trail loops back toward the sound of water, exactly where I hoped we'd end up. The low, hypnotic roar of Silver Falls makes Piper's ears perk up and I glance at her boots, then at the pool at the base of the waterfall.
A feral idea sparks in the back of my mind.
"You up for round two of field testing?" I ask.
She narrows her eyes, suspicious of the grin on my face as we tread closer to the path leading to the edge of the waterfall. "Depends. Define 'round two.'"
I grin and pick up the pace.
The clearing opens up around us, mist from the falls cooling the air and clinging to our skin the closer we get. The water spills down over the rocks, crashing into the crystalline pool below with a sound that drowns out everything except the pounding of my heart.
The ridge we're standing on is a good fifteen feet above the pool—high enough to make my pulse kick, low enough that I've jumped it a hundred times without hesitation.
I drop the pack, strip off my shirt in one smooth motion, and grin over my shoulder at Piper.
"Field test, round two. She can wave like a local, but can she jump like one?"
Her eyes go wide, flicking from me to the water and back again. "Nope. That's a negative. I am not hiking back soggy, Ranger."
"I'll carry you." I move to the edge, toes curling over the smooth stone.
She crosses her arms, trying to look stern and failing spectacularly. "You are such a menace."
I don't answer. Just strip down to my boxer briefs, take a deep breath, and without another thought… I dive right in.
The water hits like a cold slap of holy shit what was I thinking, but I surface laughing, slicking my hair back and treading water in the deep end.
"Come on, Chicago!" I scream from below.
"I told you to stop calling me that!" Piper screams back at me, her voice echoing down the wall of rock and water beside me.
But to my surprise, she's already yanking off her beanie and unlacing her boots, muttering under her breath about reckless mountain men and poor life choices.
Then, with barely another thought, she jumps.
"FUCK YEAH!" I shout, splashing water with my fist.
She lands with a splash, then surfaces shrieking and laughing all at the same time. I swear that sound could fix every bad hour of my life.
I paddle over and she's gasping, hair plastered to her face, eyes bright with adrenaline and joy.
"That was insane!" she shouts, grinning so wide it splits her face.
I swim closer, giving her space but staying near enough to catch her if she needs it. "You wanna do it again?!"
"I really do!" She treads water, spinning in a slow circle, still smiling. "God, this is freezing. Why is this so freezing?!"
"It's pure snowmelt, baby. Jamie Striker says it builds character swimming here."
"I have plenty of character, thank you very much."
I laugh, and we float for a few more minutes, the falls thundering behind us, the sky impossibly blue overhead. Then I see her start to shiver, and I haul us both toward the rocks.
"Come here."
I pull her out first, then follow, grabbing the spare flannel from the pack and wrapping it around her shoulders. She's shaking, teeth chattering, and I rub warmth into her arms, her thighs, her calves, murmuring nonsense that sounds suspiciously like worship.
"Thank you, Chase," she says, teeth still chattering.
I look into her eyes. "What for?"
"This."
She says it so simply, so vaguely… but… I understand.
I tuck her against my chest, and we sit there, dripping and glowing and alive. She sighs, head on my shoulder, listening to the water and my heartbeat.
"I hate that I can't bottle this," she whispers.
"I know." I bump her nose with mine, unsure whether she means the moment, the waterfall, or her emotions from the week she's had. "But we'll keep finding it. Every weekend."
"Chase, I don't usually tell people about my problems." She looks up at me, and for a moment, her guard dips completely.
"I don't talk like I did with you up there.
Like I did with you last night. Ever since I was little, I just had to…
deal with it. Suck it up, like I was some kind of ungrateful little rich girl. "
"I know." I kiss her forehead, her nose, her lips. All of her. "But I'm glad you did. And if you need to, you can do it again."
She shivers against me, breath puffing in the cold air. "You don't think we should stick to the rules? Friends with benefits… the... no-strings thing."
For a second, that old fear punches me.
She’s reminding you where you stand, Morrison. A temporary pain relief for her wounded world. Not enough for the long haul.
But then I remember her laugh echoing off these rocks, the way she trusted me enough to jump without question.
"Yeah," I say softly. "Maybe. But we're still friends, right? And friends can want good things for each other. Want them to be happy. Even if it's just... on weekends."
Her eyes search mine, the roar of the falls wrapping around us. She leans in, her cold nose brushing my jaw.
"Yeah," she whispers. "You're right. Friends do want that."
She shivers again, and I pull her closer, wrapping the flannel tighter. "Good. Because I've got a surprise for tonight. Our last night together before you have to leave again."
Already?! She's leaving again… already?!
Her eyes start to sparkle. "Oh yeah? Another steamy shower before one of Charlie's amazingly dirty burgers?"
I shake my head, grinning. "Nah. Way better than that."
"Better than a dirty burger? Tread carefully, soldier, you're setting yourself up for failure."
"Trust me. You're gonna like this surprise."