19. Leo #2
She finally capped the bottle and passed it back to Layla, now shimmering like a rotisserie chicken under six layers of Deet.
Layla whispered to me, “Pretty sure we just lost a layer of ozone.”
I snickered silently.
Greg offered Savannah a tissue. She took it and dabbed at her face. Then she flipped her hair and sauntered forward like nothing had happened. Greg trailed after her, nose wrinkled.
Cherise? She whistled and strolled right past, not a care in the world. Chelsea followed, both of them giggling to one another.
I followed.
The deeper we went, the quieter it got. The trail narrowed, hedged in by walls of green thick bamboo, circling vines, huge leaves that shimmered under filtered sunlight. Birds chirped overhead. Water trickled louder and louder.
A few people grumbled about their calves. Chelsea threatened to sit on a rock and let the mosquitoes take her. Savannah kept slapping her arms like she was losing a fight with an invisible octopus despite the layers of sunscreen. Damn, that was some powerful sugar.
Cherise? She kept walking. Quiet and determined. Then we reached it.
The Falls.
Water cascaded from the rocks. Mist curled in the air. The pool of water at the bottom shimmered like glass. Everyone stopped. Even Savannah let out a breathy, “Wow.”
Logan pulled Grace into a side hug. Layla immediately pulled her phone out to pose for selfies.
“Okay, that’s… worth the cardio,” Chelsea admitted.
“I told you,” Grace said, clutching Logan’s arm. “Totally postcard material.”
Tessa and Miles kicked off their shoes and stepped down into the water, hands held.
I turned to Cherise.
She was staring straight ahead, lips parted, curls damp at the edges from the humidity. She looked…peaceful.
“This is beautiful, Cherise. Great idea planning this hike.”
She gave me a slow nod. “Yeah, nature definitely got a few points here.”
We stood there, side by side, watching the water. The others splashed around, skipped rocks, took photos. Cherise didn’t move, neither did I. Just took it all in.
She reached into her backpack, pulled out a granola bar, unwrapped it, and handed me half. “You hungry?”
“Starving, thank you.” I took it.
“Thanks for having my back with Savannah. You didn’t have to do that.”
“No problem,” I said, looking at the water. Then I met her eyes. “Ever going to tell me what she did?”
“You went to school with us, I’m shocked you already don’t know. It was all around the school.”
I pointed at my chest. “Hello, nerd of the school. I didn’t have many friends in high school, and I damn sure didn’t get the low down on the latest gossip.”
She winced. “I’m sorry you had such a shitty high school experience.”
“Cherise, out of all the people in high school that should apologize to me for my shitty high school experience… You are not one of them.”
She smiled and turned back to the waterfall.
“So… does that mean you aren’t going to tell me?”
“Taking it with me to the grave.”
I laughed. “One of these days, I’ll get you to tell me. Or I’ll get Chelsea to tell me.”
“You do that, and I’ll tell her about the time I had to help you down off a doorknob at school because Sam stuck you on it by your underwear in the 10th grade.”
“My lips are sealed.”
“That’s what I thought.”
We both laughed, and then I reached for her hand. Her fingers were warm, slightly sticky, probably from the sugar, but I didn’t care.
Her eyes met our locked hands, then trailed up to my eyes. “Thanks for going through with this crazy plan of mine.”
“I’d follow you anywhere,” I replied.
Her eyes widened slightly as if she didn’t expect me to say that.
Hell, I didn’t expect to say that.
But it was true.
Even if this was all pretend, even if it ended when the wedding did…
Today? With her hand in mine. It felt real, and I planned to make the most of it while it lasted.
She squeezed my hand. “Don’t get all sentimental on me, Romeo,” she said, her voice softer.
She nudged my shoulder, then spun around, kicked off her shoes, and marched straight into the waterfall pool. Water sprayed up around her ankles. Mist clung to her skin. Her curls darkened, curling tighter with every step until she was waist-deep.
“Are you coming or what?” she yelled over her shoulder.
I followed after her.
Shoes off. Shirt tossed. Nerves wrecked.
The water was cold, but it didn’t matter. I was already drowning in her anyway.
She turned as I approached her from behind. The mist shimmered between us. Her chest rose and fell. The roar of the waterfall muted beneath the thunder of my own heartbeat.
“Leo,” she said, just above a whisper.
I bent down, lifted her chin, and kissed her.
The rest of the bridal party was doing their own thing, so there was no audience. No one to fake it for.
Just her. Just me.
And the crash of water behind us.
My arms wrapped around her waist, hers around my shoulders. I pulled her in until there was no space left between us. Her lips were baby smooth, and I never wanted to come up for air.
When we finally broke apart, she looked up at me. Longing in her stare.
I placed my forehead on hers. “Are we sure we're going to be able to end this?” I asked, voice rough.
She didn’t answer.
Just pulled me back down and kissed me again.