Chapter Seven
ASPEN
Huh. Aspen thought to herself at his words.
Inspired? He was inspired by her? Because of her injury?
Weird. She knew people had said similar things, but she had honestly stopped listening when they wanted to talk about her knee.
And when journalists had asked to do a segment on her Healing Journey, she had given her statements in writing—edited by her father, of course—and refused to do anything on live TV, her anger too obvious in both her actions and words.
But there was just something about this guy that made her want to listen.
And when she had ripped him a new one earlier, and he had still apologized, something inside her wanted to tell him it was all right.
When he had said he was inspired by her, all she could do was respond with “huh.” She honestly had no idea what else to say.
What do you even say to someone who tells you that to your face?
“Thanks, I’m glad I could be an inspiration to you even though I was in unbearable pain the entire time.
” That would just erase the fact that, even in pain, she had still made an impact on people’s lives.
Now she was the one saying stupid things.
What in the world was going on here? She was usually confident in what she said, in what she did.
And now she was questioning her behavior over something that had caused her anger?
She continued to stretch her knee, using the snow-covered rock as leverage.
She knew she was hiking too fast. She didn’t usually hike with people, other than her trainer, and he always let her set the pace.
But since she was leading the group with Cole, she couldn’t slow everyone down.
She should say something to him, but she also didn’t want anyone babying her.
If there was one thing she couldn’t stand more than talking about her injury, it was people treating her differently because of it.
No. She would just make sure to stretch it every time they stopped.
She would be fine. It would be fine. She had done more difficult hikes with her knee in the same condition, just at a different pace.
What could go wrong? She nibbled at her lip, knowing exactly what could go wrong.
Her PT had warned her many times about pushing her knee too far and the chance of a recurring injury.
Tearing the new ligament graft within the first two years was a very real possibility, one she was constantly battling in the back of her mind.
“Alright everyone, let’s keep going. We’ll have one more break before our last stretch to the top, but that’s it, so make it count.” Cole started moving onto the trail, and Aspen followed, falling in step behind him.
They began up the small slope in companionable silence, and Aspen wrestled with herself over whether she should say something. A light swept across her face, and she looked over to find Cole studying her.
“You okay over there? You keep chewing on your lip like that, and you’re bound to have some seriously chapped lips before the end of our little hike.”
She tilted her head to the side, giving him her best “I’m fine” look, before turning forward again, still debating whether or not she should actually say anything.
“Hey, do you mind slowing down a bit? I’ve been trying to let you set the pace, but since you’re obviously trying to kill the tourists behind us by being Speedy Gonzalez, I thought I’d say something. If we don’t slow down, we’ll be on top way before sunrise.”
Aspen eased her pace as the light swept across her face again. She looked over at him, and he winked before turning his light forward once more, his next words softer. “I got you.”
Her heart pounded in her chest, the wind stinging her eyes as she fought back the feelings trying to overcome her.
How did he know? How was it possible that he could read her worries, be so observant, so in tune with her thoughts that he knew what she needed without a single word?
Not even her dad could read her emotions like that.
He was usually good at knowing what she needed most of the time, but sometimes he missed the mark, his intuition clouded by what he thought was best rather than what she truly needed.
She continued to think in silence, contemplating the man she barely knew, yet who seemed to know her all too well, as they made their way to the next resting point.
“All right, ladies and gents, this is the last stop before we take the switchbacks to the top. Let me remind you, this next part can be quite difficult, so we’ll be taking it slow.
We have ten minutes to break, so make it count—stretch your legs, drink some water, and eat a small snack. Time starts now.”
Moving to another rock, Aspen stretched out her leg and began the exercises her PT had given her, counting and holding each stretch for the proper amount of time before releasing and moving to the next. Her knee twinged, and she grunted as she shifted into another position.
“Is it giving you trouble?”
She hadn’t been paying attention to anyone around her, but she noticed Cole standing not too far away, side-eyeing her as she did her stretches.
“Nope. It’s just fine, thank you.” She continued onto the next stretch, and he joined her on the rock, mirroring her movements.
“You’re doing that wrong, you know.” She pointed to his leg.
“You’re supposed to pull your foot toward your glutes, keeping your knees close together when doing a standing quad stretch.
But your legs are too far apart, and you aren’t pulling your foot toward your glutes—you’re pulling it to the side. ”
Letting go of her foot, she moved next to him, readjusting his legs so they were closer together, and then had him pull his foot toward his butt instead of to the side like before. “There. Can you feel the difference in that stretch compared to the one you were doing?”
“Yeah. I can actually. How much do I owe you for our session?” He let his foot go and started on his other one, beginning to topple over but catching himself with a chuckle. “Guess I’d better use a tree for balance next time. You make it look so easy.”
Aspen shook her head and finished her last stretch. “Yeah. Well, when you’ve done them several times a day, every day, for the past year, you kind of get good at them.”
He cringed as he picked up his discarded pack, and she grabbed hers, adjusting the straps. “Alright, everyone, break’s over. Let’s move.” They filed back into line and started up the switchbacks, Cole speaking again as they climbed.
“Sorry again, Aspen. I just… I can’t seem to stop saying the wrong things around you. I didn’t mean anything by it. Really. You just make everything look easy. It’s another thing I have always admired about you.” He glanced at her, and all she could manage in response again was a simple “Huh.”
Why couldn’t she say anything else but that stupid interjection?
It made her sound like a simpleton, like she had no words in her vocabulary.
There were so many other words she could have used to express her gratitude for his kind words, but no—all she could say was “huh.” She could slap herself.
Never in her life had she met someone so open with his words to someone he barely knew.
Was he always this kind to everyone he met?
Now he was inspired by her and admired her?
What other ‘-ed’ words were there in the English language that he could use to flatter her?
Her cheeks felt warm at his words, but luckily, they were in the dark, and if by chance he glimpsed her face, the cold could explain the redness in her cheeks.
“Keep a watchful eye here, you guys. This part can be a little slick sometimes.” Cole’s voice reached her ears, and she stepped with caution—her feet slipped on a patch of the trail, sending her hands flying out to her sides, searching for something to grab onto.
“Woah there.” Cole’s hand caught hers, pulling her close to his side, his other hand steadying her on her feet.
“You alright?” His eyes found hers in the darkness, and she realized he had dropped his flashlight to make sure she didn’t fall.
“Uhuh.” She responded, standing still, her heartbeat quickening at his touch, her eyes locked with his—until another tourist from behind approached.
Aspen broke free of his touch and bent over to pick up his flashlight.
“Y-you dropped this.” She handed it back to him, almost tossing it at him, as she carefully made her way up the switchback.
What in the world was that all about? She never got tongue-tied or flustered, but she felt warm in her winter coat as she continued hiking up the path, still trying to make sense of it.