Chapter 6
Chapter Six
WEST
Last night was one of the best nights of my life.
Hands down, no comparison. Bellarose and I stayed around the fire until we were the only ones left, and at around two in the morning, she almost fell asleep mid-sentence.
As much as I didn’t want to let her go, I walked her to her cabin and hugged her goodnight.
Am I kicking myself for not kissing her? Obviously, but I want her to remember the first time we kiss. Last night she was practically sleepwalking by the time I half-carried her to her cabin and she slipped inside.
I managed to catch a few hours of sleep myself before I was wide awake, ready to see her again. Stupidly I didn’t get her number last night, so I might have accidentally hacked into the company’s human resource folder and stolen it. And by “accidentally,” I mean entirely on purpose.
I’m out of the shower and getting dressed when I finally have the courage to send her a text. It’s still early, so even though she’s probably asleep, I hit send. I want my message to be the first thing she reads when she wakes up.
Me: Woke up thinking of you. Can’t stop smiling.
I’m pulling on my shirt when I hear my phone buzz with an incoming message. I almost trip and fall on my way to grab it. My feet stumble as my hand snags the phone off the dresser and I see it’s a message from Bellarose.
Bellarose: Umm, you’ll have to help me out. Are you the guy from the tax office?
I blink at my phone in shock. I mean, I know we didn’t exchange numbers, but surely she hasn’t forgotten about me? A flash of jealousy ignites as I think about how she probably has tons of guys that hang on every word she says.
Bellarose: Kidding. I woke up thinking about you too :)
I stare down at the little happy face and realize it matches my own goofy grin.
Me: I’m scheduled to do ziplining this morning. Want to come with?
The reply bubble pops up like she’s typing, but then it goes away. I stand there waiting and see it pop up again before it disappears once more. I can picture her typing and then deleting the same text over and over.
Bellarose: Okay
I chuckle at how long it took her to come up with the one-word response.
Me: What time can I come by your cabin and grab you?
I’m bouncing on my toes with excitement, ready to run the moment she says it’s okay.
Bellarose: Give me fifteen.
Me: Deal
Why do I feel like I’m fifteen years old and about to go on my first date?
Bellarose is funny and enjoys life. That kind of energy is infectious.
She’s not afraid to be who she is, and the more we talked, the more I wanted to stay in that energy.
It’s not that I worry about what people think of me; it’s just that I hold a lot of responsibility in my hands.
I have to constantly think about others, but when I was with Bellarose, it felt like I could breathe.
That the only thing that mattered was us, and it was freeing.
I’ve made my bed, straightened up my cabin, and paced around the room for what has to be ten hours. When I look down at my watch and see it’s only been ten minutes, I groan. I convince myself that if I walk to her cabin really slowly, I’ll be there right on time.
Too bad that as soon as my boots hit the path, I’m practically running. I should know better than to lie to myself, but my excitement is too big to wait any longer.
I knock lightly on her cabin door, but it’s yanked open like I’ve tried to knock it down. I take a step back when I see the woman from last night standing there. Her face is twisted into an annoyed sneer until she sees me, and then it quickly changes to delight.
“Good morning, Mr. Hayes. What can I help you with?”
“I’m actually here to see Bellarose.” I glance beyond the woman in front of me. Damn it, why can’t I remember her name? I’m usually great with names, but for some reason, hers keeps eluding me. Is it Shona? Shana? It doesn’t matter. “Is she here, Shannon?”
Her smile falls, and she presses her lips into a tight line. I try to peer around her, and that’s when I see Bellarose hopping on one foot as she pulls on her shoe while trying to hurry to the door.
“Sorry, there’s only one bathroom,” Bellarose says and then shrugs like that explains it. She gives her roommate a look before having to nudge her away from the door so she can exit.
“You look—” I start to say, but Shannon or whoever cuts me off.
“Ridiculous. How are you planning on doing any of the activities today with animal ears on?” She huffs a laugh like it’s the stupidest thing she’s ever heard of. “I was told we were supposed to dress professionally.”
“Perfect,” I say, finishing my sentence and keeping my eyes on Bellarose. “You look perfect.”
“Are you sure this is okay for ziplining?” She looks down at her T-shirt and shorts and then back at me.
“I think if you’re going to fly through the air while suspended on a metal wire, a cat T-shirt that says Who’s laughing meow? is the way to do it.”
“That’s what I thought,” she says and beams at me. “Plus I pinned the fuzzy ears to my hair so they don’t get lost.”
“You’ve thought of everything,” I say, feeling that warmth bloom across my chest.
“I’m gonna be sick,” the roommate mumbles.
We ignore her as I reach for Bellarose’s hand and lead her away from the cabin. Somewhere behind us, I hear a door slam, and Bellarose jumps slightly.
“Is everything okay with your roommate?”
“Who knows?” she says, waving her off. “I need to tell you something.”
“Tell me everything,” I offer instead. “I’m all ears.”
“So I might be a teensy, tiny bit afraid of heights.”
“Oh, that’s okay.” I stop walking and mentally shuffle through all the other options for today’s activities. “We could go try archery or maybe the candle-making class.”
“No, sorry, that’s not what I mean. I want to do the zipline.
I just wanted you to know that I’m afraid to do it.
” She keeps talking, blurting out all her thoughts on what is clearly an important subject.
“It’s hard to explain, but I like to do the things that scare me to prove that I can do them.
Even if I’m terrified. I’ve always been scared of heights, but this sounds so fun, and I don’t want to kick myself for missing out on an opportunity that could be amazing.
Maybe the best day of my life. Although when I woke up this morning, I thought last night might have been the best time of my life.
So all that to say, I might poop my pants, but I’m excited about it. ”
The laughter that comes out of me is soft as I shake my head and pull her in for a hug. Without realizing what I’m doing, I kiss the top of her head. If she felt it, she didn’t seem unhappy about the touch because she hugs me back.
“Thank you for telling me. I think that whole explanation is why I like you so much.” Her eyes widen at my confession as I take her hand again and start walking toward the zipline course. “You’re a lot braver than you give yourself credit for.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Bellarose admits. “I feel like a pushover most of the time.” I look over at her as she shrugs a shoulder. “But when I woke up this morning and saw your text, I dunno. I think I was just tired of being pushed around.”
“Is your roommate pushing you around?” Bellarose hesitates, and I feel my back tense. “If she’s—”
“No, it’s fine. I can handle Sheryl.” She waves me off, but there’s still something about her tone that bothers me. “Anyway, I’m happy we get to do this adventure together.”
“Me too,” I say, squeezing her hand. “But if we’re confessing things, I’ve got one for you.”
“You’re Batman, aren’t you?”
“He wishes,” I tell her, and she snickers. “I might be afraid of heights too.”
Bellarose stops and jerks on my hand. “Then why the heck are we doing this?”
“Because what if last night wasn’t the greatest day of our lives? What if today’s that day?”
The way she smiles at me makes my chest expand. It feels like my heart is growing so there’s more room to love her.