Chapter 19
NIKKI
Marek orders room service for dinner, and we drag ourselves out of bed to get dressed and eat.
I pull on a pair of leggings, thick socks, and a sweater, kind of wishing I had something sexier to wear.
I saw the flimsy undies Marek retrieved from my place and I think that means he’d like to see me in them.
This sparks a flame of heat low in my belly.
We share a bottle of Finger Lakes wine, a dry Riesling, as I eat my halibut and he devours a steak.
Then we go out onto the terrace in the snowy dark, a glass of wine in hand, to look up at the sky and study the twinkling stars.
The chilly air feels bracing when I breathe it into my lungs, and I take a few deep breaths, letting the peace surround me, enjoying the quiet and the beauty.
I was afraid of the snow but right now, it makes the world bright even in the dark. Silver stars like diamonds bright scatter soft across the night… The world is quiet, my heart’s at ease… Yet in this chill, there’s something warm—beauty in the winter’s charm.
Ohhhh. I can hear the melody, quiet and clear, to go along with the lyrics.
I go very still and close my eyes. I love expressing my thoughts and feelings through music. I always have. I thought that was gone. Right now, I almost have that feeling of joy deep in my soul that music gives me, a hint of the happiness music has brought me in the past.
Maybe it’s not gone forever.
Maybe talking about music with Marek on the way here helped. He surprised me. Especially when he told me he sings my songs in the shower. I like how he gets that music is about emotions. I… like him. A lot.
I was skeptical about coming here, but a change of scenery, Marek’s company, and the quiet beauty are soothing my soul and freeing my imagination. I feel different. Lighter. It’s not that the fear is gone; I think the fear will always be there. But I can be afraid and still do this.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” I say to Marek softly.
He looks down at me, his expression solemn, eyes steady. “Thanks for being brave enough to come.”
I didn’t feel brave. But now… maybe I feel a little brave.
In the morning, Marek goes to the hotel gym to work out and tries to convince me to go with him.
I don’t know why I’m reluctant. I used to enjoy working out, even though it was something I had to do.
But I give in and accompany him and spend forty-five minutes walking on the treadmill. It’s something.
At lunch, I bravely venture into one of the resort’s restaurants. With my hair in a ponytail and no makeup, I don’t attract any attention. Then Marek wants to go on a hike.
I’m not sure about this, but he’s looked at maps and hiking paths, so I dress warmly and put on my new boots, and we drive to the start of the trail he’s picked.
It’s down a narrow snow-packed road that makes me nervous.
Our vehicle is the only one in the small parking lot, which also doesn’t give me good vibes.
I stop in front of a big sign at the beginning of the trail that says:
WARNING
PROCEED WITH CAUTION
STAY ON MAIN TRAIL
KEEP AWAY FROM CLIFF EDGE
I turn to look at Marek, my eyes bugging out. “Cliff?”
He seems unbothered. “Yeah. We’ll have some great views.”
I make a quiet whimpering noise but follow him onto the path.
But as we set out, the sun pops out from behind clouds and makes the snow glisten so brightly I need my sunglasses, and I breathe in cold air that carries the scent of spruce. It’s kind of beautiful.
The snow is deeper than I expected in places and I’m glad for the taller boots that Marek suggested. Also, it’s hard work walking through snow, and it makes my heart hammer even more than it already was because of the snow.
The tree branches stretch above us bare and black, with mounds of snow resting on the boughs of the evergreen trees. We spot a fox and Marek pauses to point out a falcon soaring high above us.
“Are there bears here?” I ask.
“Yeah, but we won’t see any.”
I gulp. “How do you know we won’t see any?”
“They want to avoid us.”
I’m unconvinced and my eyes dart around the forest as we walk. “Do you know where you’re going?”
He stops, turns, and gives me a testy look. “Yes, I know where we’re going.”
I smile tightly. “Okay! Just checking.”
He turns back to leading the way. “We should be at the waterfall in about fifteen minutes.”
“I might be dead in fifteen minutes.”
He stops and turns again. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“This is hard work, walking through snow! My legs aren’t as long as yours. Also, I’m not a professional athlete.”
His brows twitch toward each other. “Do you want to go back?”
“No, I’m just being dramatic.”
One side of his mouth pulls up. “Ah. Okay. Want some water?”
He’s wearing a backpack containing bottles of water and snacks.
“I’m okay for now.”
We keep hiking, the silence broken only by the crunch of our feet in the snow and the occasional song of sparrows and familiar chicka-dee-dee-dee. My breathing gets faster and I focus on keeping it slow and steady.
Then Marek stops again.
He turns and beckons to me to come closer, then points at the forest without saying a word. I hike up next to him and search for what he’s gesturing at.
“A white weasel,” he whispers. “On that stump.”
I finally locate it and break into a smile. “It’s so hard to see it. It blends with the snow.”
“Yeah.”
We watch for a few minutes until it disappears to tunnel under the snow.
“That was amazing.” I smile up at Marek.
He smiles, too. “Yeah.” Then he brushes a kiss over my mouth, and some much-needed heat balloons inside me.
Finally, we’re at Ridge Falls, indicated by a small wooden sign affixed to a tree trunk.
Here, there’s a wooden walkway which makes walking easier, and a moment later we’re standing at the edge of a gully, looking down into it.
The stream that usually flows through it is almost all frozen but there are places of open water amidst rocks and logs and snow.
The falls are also frozen, and my breath catches in my throat at the sight.
“Oh my God. That’s beautiful.” I pull out my phone and take a few pictures.
“Let’s go closer.”
I pick my way carefully down behind Marek to get closer to the stream bed and he clears snow off a big rock for us to sit on.
The waterfall is an incredible glacier blue, frozen in perfect straight streams from the edge of the overhang to the ground.
Lower, the ice is like sculptures, frozen white mist and froth, encasing huge rocks with fresh snow collected on top.
“It looks like one day someone just came along with a magic wand and waved it at the falls and said the magic word, and it all froze immediately.”
Marek looks down at me, eyes alight with amusement. “What’s the magic word?”
I think. “Aqua gelato.”
He nods. “Sounds good to me.”
“I think it might be Latin. Or maybe not. Maybe I just made it up.”
Our eyes meet and a warm sweetness unfurls in my chest.
“You’re a smart girl,” he murmurs.
I go very still, as still as the waterfall, air deserting my lungs.
Nobody has ever called me smart. Creative, yes.
Impulsive, distractible, hard working. But not smart.
When I got crazy ideas like aqua gelato as a kid, I learned to not say them, because people laughed or rolled their eyes.
When I put them into music, though, nobody laughed.
Marek didn’t laugh.
I stare at the waterfall, trying to focus on it and drink in its pristine, frosty beauty. “Thank you for bringing me here,” I say quietly. “I love it.”
He slides an arm around my shoulders and pulls me closer to him. I wish I could feel more of his heat but our puffy jackets are preventing that. I lean my head against him.
A while later, I say, “My ass is frozen.”
Marek chuckles. “Oh, no! We don’t want that gorgeous ass frozen.” He stands and pulls me up with him. “Should I warm it up?” He starts to take off his gloves. “I’ll sacrifice for your beautiful butt.”
I giggle and bat him away. “Not here!”
“Let’s start heading back.”
I let Marek lead the way again. But when we come to a spot where two trails intersect, he turns a different way than I thought. “Wait! Is that the right way?”
“You doubt me?” He lifts an amused eyebrow.
“We came that way.” I point. “See? Those are our footprints.”
“The trail is a loop,” he says. “We’ll end up back at the same spot.”
“Oh.” I purse my lips. “Okay.”
This is definitely a different way. The way we came was all forest but this way opens up into a snow-covered field, with long golden grasses and shrubs poking out.
It would be prettier in the sun, but the sky has completely clouded over.
I eye it uneasily as we cross over a small wooden foot bridge, presumably across the stream that leads to the waterfall.
It’s really cute and I pause to take a couple more pics.
I’m breathing hard and my legs are starting to feel like frozen rubber when Marek pauses and pulls out his phone.
“What?” I pant, stopping next to him.
“Mmm… we should be back at the parking lot by now.”
I blink a few times. “We’re lost?” I try to ignore the fluttery feeling in my stomach and the heart palpitations.
“No, no.” He waves a hand, looking at his maps app. “We can’t get lost.”
“I knew we were coming the wrong way.”
He gives me a look of frustration.
“Sorry.” I make a face and peer over his arm at his phone. “Where are we?”
“Too far north. Shit.”
I give up. I sit down in the snow. Thankfully I’m wearing my new snow pants. “I’m too tired,” I say. “Go on without me.”
He snorts. “Sure.”
“Really. I’ll just wait here for the rescue helicopter to lift me out.”
Then Marek joins me in the snow. He opens the backpack and pulls out a bottle of water. “Water? Or coffee?”
“You have coffee in there?” I lean over eagerly.
He pulls out a thermal flask and unscrews the lid so I can drink from the wide mouth. He also has protein bars that he shares with me.