Chapter 8
EIGHT
The pebbles crunch beneath my boots as I walk along the path, following the map to where Trevor sent his location. The sun is warm on my back despite the cooler air from the ocean nearby, making me heat up a bit under my hoodie. It’s 12:44PM, and the hike I was on would have taken me another hour and a half. But I cut it short. I almost didn’t because that’s the hike I planned today, and had already started. But with a male Black-throated Blue Warbler here… I had to do it. I had to change my plan and come see it.
Even though I can’t stop thinking about what might have happened if I stayed on the hike I was on. What would I have seen there? Could I have seen a bird that’s even more rare? Now I’ll never know…
I twist the straps of my backpack in my hands, squeezing them tight as I blow out a breath, trying to ease the tension creeping in. I can go back another time… I can go back…
But it won’t be the same.
I almost turn around, until the path opens to a small clearing with a grassy spot overlooking the cliffs and the ocean below. Past the rocky cliffs, a large iceberg floats in the dark water, bright and looming. And Trevor is sitting on the grass, staring out over the horizon.
He doesn’t see me as I stand here… watching him.
He’s in shorts and a t-shirt, with his bike and helmet lying on the grass beside him. His dark hair is tousled, with messy strands moving gently in the breeze while the sun shines down on him.
He looks peaceful.
But I think I’ve noticed that in him before too.
Then he turns his head towards me and smiles widely. “Hey! You found it.”
I nod, stepping forward and gripping my backpack straps a little tighter. “Yeah.” My eyes flick to the tree line, scanning the rocks and shrubs as thoughts of the Warbler race through my mind.
“He’s gone,” Trevor says softly, pulling my attention back to him. He gives me a look that seems like he’s almost as disappointed as I am. “Sorry.” Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. “I did take a few more photos of him though. But I’m the furthest thing from a photographer, so… I did the best I could. Don’t judge.” He laughs lightly.
I step closer as he holds out his phone, showing me a picture of the Warbler. Its blue feathers are vivid against the green understory, and its delicate frame is perfectly perched on a rock.
“They live in hardwood forests, or mixed woodlands with a lot of shrubby understory,” I say, my voice surprisingly steady as my eyes stay fixed on the photo. “They forage in the lower branches, picking insects from the undersides of leaves.”
Trevor scrolls to the next photo, where the bird has his beak open, looking up at the higher branches, and excitement courses through me.
“They have a lazy buzzy song,” I say, trying to keep from bouncing on my toes. “They sing to defend their breeding territory. Did he sing? This photo looks like he’s singing. If he was, that means he might have claimed this territory as his and he could still be somewhere around here.”
“He did sing,” Trevor says. Then he chuckles. “But I’m pretty sure this photo might have been him eating a bug.”
My eyes are still glued to the photo and my heart races at the possibility that the Warbler could be nearby. “His song has three to seven notes, with the last one slurred upward. I actually like the buzzy songs a lot. I don’t think many people like it as much as I do, but I really do.”
Suddenly I bite the inside of my cheek as realization sets in.
I’m getting stuck, and people don’t like that. But I just have so much I want to say about this bird. That he could be singing for either aggressive motivation against other males or communicating with females. And that if he was singing to chase away other males, it could mean there is another around here somewhere too.
But I make myself stop and squeeze my backpack straps again.
When I glance up at Trevor, all he does is smile at me.
He always seems to do that. He doesn’t tell me to stop talking, he doesn’t walk away, and he doesn’t roll his eyes.
People do that.
He doesn’t.
I don’t know why.
Trevor slips his phone back into his pocket. “What do you say we try to find him then? If he might still be around here, we can head into the woods.”
Something swirls in my stomach, and I find myself eagerly nodding.
He chuckles and picks up his bike, leaning it against a large tree.
I eye his bike for a moment, worry creeping in because someone might take it. But Trevor just leaves it there…
And I really want to find this bird.
So I leave it, and follow Trevor into the woods.
“Were you looking for anything specific on your hike this morning?” Trevor asks over his shoulder as he pushes a branch aside and holds it for me to pass through.
“No,” I reply, and he falls into step beside me. The forest floor opens as we walk, the dense shrubs giving way to scattered trees that we can easily pass between.
“Well, it’s a beautiful day to be out,” he says lightly.
My brow furrows as I glance at him, and he just continues walking along beside me with an easy smile. No more prodding, no more questions… just… a smile.
I bring my gaze back out to the trees before me and shrug, pointing to my backpack over my shoulders which holds my camera and lenses. “I was taking photos.”
“For a client?” he asks, stepping over a fallen branch.
I shake my head. “For me.”
Trevor is silent for a moment as the crunching of our feet on the ground fills the space between us. “Think you’ll take more today?”
My eyes slowly scan the space around us, and I take a moment to let the scenery show me what it has to offer. Snapshots of sunlight filtering through the leafy canopy, and golden beams of light slicing through dark green shadows enter my mind. The contrast of the fresh greenery against the browns of tree trunks and the forest floor is stark, and the tones create a cool, yet inviting image.
My gaze then lifts as a squirrel scurries across a branch overhead .
“Yes,” I say quietly, stopping as I keep my eyes on the squirrel.
Trevor pauses a few steps ahead, looking back at me before he follows my gaze up to the squirrel in the tree.
Carefully, I kneel down to set my backpack on the ground and quietly pull out my camera, which is thankfully already fitted with the lens I need.
Trevor stands quietly, watching as I switch my camera on and lift it to my eye, angling it upwards to focus the lens on the curious little squirrel staring down at me.
I manage to capture a few shots before it suddenly darts away, continuing its journey among the trees. Then I push to my feet again and flick through the photos as Trevor cautiously steps forward. As I lift my eyes to meet his, I’m met with curiosity in his gaze.
“I like this one,” I say quietly, turning the camera to show him the screen.
The squirrel’s tiny face peeks over the branch, its wide and curious eyes staring right into the camera, framed by the soft blur of green leaves and the bright blue sky.
Trevor’s brows shoot up and he takes another step closer for a better look. “Damn… that is seriously impressive. I could barely even see that little guy from down here. What an awesome photo.” He looks up at me with a smile. “You put my photos of the Warbler to shame. Feel free to judge now.”
I shake my head, drawing my brows together in confusion. “I couldn’t anyway, they're of two different animals with two different cameras, different light, motion…” I trail off as Trevor lifts an eyebrow and his smile grows.
Oh. Maybe he didn’t mean that in the way I think he did…
So I clear my throat and drop my gaze to my camera again. “How’s the bird?” I ask, switching my camera off. “I know it’s Sunday and you aren’t at work, so I don’t know if you know, but if you do know, can I know too?” An uneasy feeling settles in my stomach… but it’s not the usual uneasiness I feel when I’m worried about the bird. It seems to be something else, and I don’t know what.
“She’s great,” Trevor says, and I lift my eyes to glance at him again as he gives me a smile. “The vet tech who’s in today let me know that she’s been hopping on the branches you brought her.”
A smile tugs at my lips as the uneasy feeling starts to fade, and I just nod.
We both continue to stand here in silence as the woods around us hums softly with the rustle of leaves and the distant call of birds. I let my eyes slide up to the leaves, and I watch them move in the canopy above us with the sunlight filtering through them like a strobe light. My gaze locks on them, and my head tilts until it feels just right, and the dancing light scratches the part of my brain that needs it, making all the tension ease and the endless questions settle.
When I lower my eyes again, Trevor is quietly watching me… just letting me do what I need to do.
I never noticed before that his eyes have hues of gold in them. Light brown like the earth we’re standing on, threaded with rays of warm sunlight.
“People don’t like to talk to me,” I say.
His head tilts, and his eyebrows draw together slightly. “Why do you say that?”
I shrug. “They just don’t. I’m not like them. But it’s ok. I like to be alone.”
Trevor nods thoughtfully. “It’s more than ok.” Then he sweeps his gaze over the woods surrounding us as a breeze blows through, rustling the leaves. “Although… it kind of feels like you’re never really alone out here, doesn’t it? ”
He’s quiet for a moment before he brings his gaze back to mine, and I quickly drop my eyes.
He’s right. Being alone out here isn’t the same. Not with the birds, the breeze on my skin, and the life I get to experience through my lens. I like being alone… with everything that’s alive out here.
“It’s why I like it out here too,” Trevor says quietly. “Quiet company can be the best kind.” He pauses for a moment, before softly adding, “And I like talking to you.”
My eyes lift once again to meet his, and he just softly smiles before turning to continue our walk.
But I stay where I am, and just watch him.
I think this is the first time someone has truly… understood.
And I think I like it.
Trevor pauses in a small clearing among large, mature trees, looking up to the sky as the sunlight casts a warm golden glow down on him.
And without thinking, I do something I’ve never done with another person before.
I lift my camera, and take a picture of him.