us as I piece the information he’s given me into the jigsaw puzzle that is his mosaic portrait. I give his arm a final squeeze, tension crackling in the air between us. Then I draw my hand back, turning to look out the window.
He doesn’t resist. He is somber, brooding even. It’s a side of him that I haven’t seen that much of before. I have to admit, it’s an alluring look for him.
Then again, what isn’t?
It’s not long before we reach the burger joint. I’m sort of hoping that he will shift out of the strange mood he’s in. Maybe he’ll park and we’ll go inside, maybe we’ll flirt and tease.
But it seems that’s not the case. He just pulls up to the drive through window, orders without consulting me, and picks up the food. He hands it over to me wordlessly, then starts driving us home.
And I just sit there, clutching the paper bag, feeling stymied. A braver woman would use this to open Aiden up, probably. She would find his gooey center and maybe his heart too.
Alas, I’m not that woman. So I just smile when we get back to the house.
“Thanks for taking me,” I try.
“No problem.” He plucks his burger and fries out of the bag in my hands. “I’ll see you later.”
Then Aiden heads off into the woods, leaving me watching after him uncertainly.
Chapter Nine
Olivia
“I can’t believe you do this as your job,” I huff, adjusting my backpack straps for the hundredth time. It’s the weekend. I made a lot of noise about making Aiden take me deep into the wilderness, in theory to hike up Mount Olympus. Or if not Mount Olympus, a little replica, more suited to my hiking skills. It sounded nice and refreshing.
In reality though, it’s sweaty and hard, and we are only a little way up the base of the mountain. Surrounded by pine trees and rocky, upward-sloping terrain, I am pretty sure that my lungs are just going to stop working at any moment.
Besides that, my feet hurt and my back is killing me. God, why does anyone do this recreationally?
Aiden looks back at me. He’s been grumpy all morning but now, the clouds part and he gives me a grin. “Are you suddenly realizing your physical limits, Olive?”
Out of breath, I wave at him to slow down. “Let’s take a break.”
He slows but doesn’t stop. “If you can just make it a little further, there is a great resting place. I promise it will be worth your while.”
I glare at him, but keep moving. He turns back toward the sloping trail. I just focus on keeping my feet moving. We travel in complete silence for a few minutes, other than the sound of my labored breathing.
“Do you hear that?” he asks.
I shift my focus to listening. I hear a bird chirping. I hear our footsteps.
Narrowing my eyes, I think that there is something else too. Something low and loud, growing with every step we take. Sort of a whooooooosh sound.
“What is that?” I ask.
Aiden grins over his shoulder. “You’re about to find out.”
Then with a last few giant steps, he comes to a part of the trail that flattens out. He stands aside, ushering me up into a huge clearing. I blink as I look around; he wasn’t kidding about this being a good resting place. There are picnic tables to my left. The trail continues down the middle of the clearing. And to my right, there are several informational signs… right before a rushing stream trips over a number of boulders.
That explains the sound, which is so much louder up here.
“Whoa,” I breathe, pulling my backpack off. I let it fall to the pine needle covered ground with a soft thud. Catching my breath will take some time but as I look around, I’m glad that I’m doing it here.
“I told you,” Aiden says with a grin.
“You did,” I agree. “You’re a man of your word.”
Leaving my backpack there, I trail over to where the river and the rocks are. To my surprise, the earth simply stops there, leaving the water to rush down almost fifty feet and land at the bottom with a crash. It’s awesome, being able to look down from up here.
Aiden grabs my backpack and finds a comfortable spot on the table as I continue to gape at the falls.
“I’m setting up for lunch,” he calls. “I don't know about you, but I’m fucking starving.”
I look over my shoulder to see him