Chapter 42
Lola obviously hadn’t wanted to talk the night before because she hadn’t phoned him, but then they hadn’t actually spoken to each other since they’d said goodbye in Sardinia.
All of their communication had been through messages, which he found far easier.
He wasn’t sure he’d know what to say to Lola if they talked, not when he was in such a muddle emotionally.
He longed to talk properly like they had on Sardinia, but he knew it wouldn’t be the same over the phone, and a video call would be torturous when all he wanted to do was hold her in his arms again.
After his train journey and late arrival at the hotel the day before, Rhys woke refreshed.
He took a cup of coffee out onto his balcony and breathed in the fresh mountain air.
The town lay in the Cortina valley, the surrounding mountain peaks of the Dolomites dusted with snow, while the lower slopes were carpeted with evergreens and larches, a muted dusky gold where the sun didn’t yet reach.
It was the right time to be somewhere like this, to take a breath, think and reflect.
Up until now, travelling from place to place exploring the old parts of cities, soaking up the atmosphere and culture had been what he’d needed.
He craved this kind of space in his everyday life and he was itching to pull on his walking boots and get lost in the wilderness.
Metaphorically speaking. He smiled wryly; he was far too organised and planned things to the minutest detail to get lost or accidentally stray too far, but a hike to explore the surrounding area was on the agenda.
After breakfast, Rhys set off on a four-hour walk starting and ending in Cortina that took him beneath towering spruce, across rocky terrain and into the shadow of soaring mountain peaks.
Back at the hotel, he ate a late lunch on his own in a restaurant with an uninterrupted view over the town.
Eating breakfast and lunch on his own was fine, it was dinner he struggled with while surrounded by couples, families and groups of friends enjoying each other’s company.
But sitting staring at his phone wasn’t going to make Lola call or message.
She’d likely phoned Mirabel yesterday evening.
Of course she’d call her best friend over him.
She had probably celebrated with her friends too and was in full-on back-to-work mode today.
They’d messaged each other every day he’d been travelling, so he was sure today would be no different, but it didn’t mean he had to wait for her to make contact.
They were friends, there was no need to play games.
He drained his coffee and composed a message.
Everywhere has been incredible in its own way, but this place…
Maybe I like the space when the sky seems so vast, or perhaps it’s because I’m surrounded by trees and mountains.
Whatever it is, it’s awe-inspiring and no words or even photos will do it justice (although I’m sending you the photo I took from my balcony this morning).
He sent it, not expecting her to reply straight away when she’d be at work, but his heart lifted when she did.
Well that’s stunning. Beats a damp, miserable London. Wish I was there x
Rhys studied those last few words, turning them over and over in his head, wondering what tone she would have said them with if they’d been talking on the phone.
She could simply mean she’d much rather be in the Dolomites than London, but she could also have meant that she wished she was sharing the view with him . He replied simply with the truth.
I wish you were here too x
Pocketing his phone, he left the restaurant and went via his room to grab his swim things before heading to the outdoor pool to front-crawl away his worries while reminding himself that this time away was to focus on his dreams and future.
The air chilled his face as he bobbed up and down in the warm water, catching glimpses of ice-blue sky and mauve mountains as he swam. Dusk fell and Cortina erupted with hundreds of twinkling lights as windows lit up. For Rhys it was the perfect place to hope and plan and dream.
* * *
Rhys woke early again the next morning to drink his coffee on the balcony and watch the sun rise.
Perhaps it was the comfort of a routine he liked after weeks of travelling with little structure to his days, something he had lots of in his real life.
What he didn’t have back home was this sort of freedom or the joy of the outdoors within strolling distance.
That gaping hole needed to be fixed somehow, a hole that had grown since saying goodbye to Lola in Sardinia.
One that wasn’t filled even when he received a message from her over breakfast.
Got any plans for today?
No, a message from her didn’t fix the hole, but he felt less alone sitting in the spacious restaurant eating his continental breakfast and listening to the international chatter from the other guests. He smiled as he wrote a reply.
A repeat of yesterday. Off for a hike, although I might take lunch with me this time. Back to the hotel for a swim, then dinner.
Sounds perfect.
What are you up to?
Oh, nothing special. Busy day though and prob not contactable for most of it. Will catch up with you this evening x
Rhys put his phone face down on the table.
While Lola was off to work, he would be striding beneath autumn-gold trees and soaking up the awe-inspiring sight of jagged mountain peaks.
Turning his attention away from his ever-growing melancholy over missing Lola, he spread a map of the area out on the table and began to work out his hiking route for the day.
* * *
Rhys returned to the hotel just before dusk.
His thighs burned and his cheeks were flushed from the cold.
He’d pounded away his worries beneath the forest as he’d navigated the steep slopes.
Winding his way back down had been the best bit, knowing he’d be able to ease his aching muscles with a swim in a warm pool before feasting on venison and falling into bed.
His long-term dream of moving away from Bristol to somewhere he could wake up surrounded by trees had been brought sharply into focus here.
He’d love to work for himself rather than have the rigidity of school hours and term time.
He thought back to one of his first conversations with Lola and her suggestion of turning his woodworking hobby into an actual job.
He’d always considered it to be a pipe dream, something he’d do when he was older, because what he was doing now was sensible and safe.
Teaching was an important profession and one he liked; he had his own home that he’d worked hard for.
Of course there were plenty of things missing – while he couldn’t magic up a loving relationship, he could make his long-term dream come true if he had the guts to.
Earlier in the day he’d taken a photo of his picnic spot with the lake framed between trees, the surface smooth and milky-turquoise, Punta Sorapis jutting towards the pale, sun-bleached sky.
The sense of contentment he’d felt there had been absolute.
Without the summer crowds, he’d only passed a handful of other hikers along the way.
He sent the photo to Lola, the only person he’d wanted to share the moment with.
He liked his own company, but he longed for Lola’s more.