“Do your parents live around here?” I asked because I was curious. Also, I wanted to listen to him talk forever. His voice was on a wavelength that made a new and familiar connection with something inside of me.
“Yeah, about twenty minutes from my house. My whole family is local. We’re pretty big.”
“Siblings?”
“Two brothers and two sisters. I’m right smack dab in the middle.”
“Wow. I can’t even imagine. I’m an only child and my parents had me later in life, so it was almost like growing up with grandparents.” I thought about how, and not for the first time, my life might have been different had I had a brother or sister. Then again, growing up that way made me comfortable being lonely, so it wasn’t all bad. I was used to being by myself. “Do you see your family often?”
“There’s a dinner at my parents’ house every Saturday. Everyone is welcome every week, but not everyone goes all the time. If you’ve got other stuff going on, it’s not a big deal. It’s kind of just like an open door dinner. Come if you can, and if you can’t, maybe we’ll see you next week.” He shrugged and as his shoulders moved up and down. I couldn’t help but think of how comfortable he seemed talking about his family, how easy it must have been to have the kind of relationship where you knew every week you could go and be with people who would accept you just as you were and love you regardless.
“Are you close with your family?”
“Yeah, I guess. My mom and dad are enjoying their retirement and keep busy. They’re not around too much, but I see them every now and then.”
“What was it like growing up an only child?”
“Lonely, I guess. But I did have the undivided attention of both my parents, which, in hindsight, was nice. I thought it a little oppressive as a teenager, but looking back, I know my parents loved me tremendously and did their absolute best. But I never had that built-in friendship I imagine other people had with their brothers and sisters.”
“There were times it would have been nice to have the undivided attention from my parents though.” He was quiet for a moment, and then added, “The grass is always greener, ya know?”
I laughed quietly, “You’re right.”
“Have you ever been to Oneonta Gorge?”
“I can’t say that I have,” I turned my head toward him and smiled, a little relieved he was changing the topic.
“It’s a pretty easy hike, right between all the falls, but when you get to the end of the trail, it’s pretty amazing.” He looked at me quickly, his smile so bright and perfect, then looked back at the road. His excitement over his chosen hiking trail was almost adorable.
“I can’t wait,” I responded honestly. We spent the next thirty minutes falling into easy conversation. He was so easy to talk to, and more than a few times made me laugh. I found his unrestrained laugh hypnotic and I, also, found myself wanting to make him laugh often. I wanted to be the reason his loud and happy laughter filled the cab of his truck, sending prickles along my skin, watching his mouth turn up into the sexiest smile.
He pulled into a small parking lot right off the highway and the trailhead was just south of us. He wore a large backpack, but wouldn’t let me take anything when I offered.
“You just carry your water bottle and we’ll be square. It’s not as heavy as it looks,” he said, tilting his head back to indicate he was talking about his backpack. Then he winked at me, and everything except him and his beautiful face faded away. Every trouble I’d dealt with in the last year, every sad moment, every tear was washed away and replaced by warmth. Then, the warmth was replaced immediately with fear. Surely, if this man had the ability to wipe away my sadness with only one wink, he could cause much more heartache than I was ready to endure.
“Okay,” I said breathily, still trying to recover from his beautiful eye winking at me and the way it made me want to hold on to him and push him away all at the same time.
It was still early in the day, but the hikers were out in full force. There were young adults hiking in groups, teenagers taking advantage of the nice weather, young couples taking their children on a hike, which admittedly, made me feel like I could handle it. If toddlers were on the trail, surely I could make it through.
“I wish I would have had the forethought in high school to take a date hiking,” Nate said quietly, nodding his head toward a couple a few feet in front of us. They looked like they were probably just finishing high school or near the end. “It seems like a much better alternative to sitting in a dark theatre watching a movie. At least outside you get to actually see the other person.” I looked ahead, watching as the young man reached out and took the young girl’s hand. She turned to look at him and gave him a shy smile as a blush spread across her face, obviously pleased with the contact. It was sweet and innocent.
“I have to admit, I’ve never been hiking on a date before. It would have been a welcomed idea.”
“Well, I’m glad I could be a first.” I heard his words and then looked at him, giving him a shy smile much like the young girl had just given her date. He didn’t try to hold my hand, but the implication was the same. He wanted me to know I was his date, that he wanted me there in that capacity.
We continued down the path and every once in a while I stopped to take a few photos of something that caught my eye. He was exceedingly patient and even seemed interested in the process, asking a few questions about my camera or how the natural light affected the photo. Then, a few times, I’d finish taking a photo and find him looking at me with affection.
“It’s inspiring to watch you work,” he said with a smile. “Your face is cute when you’re concentrating. I mean,” he said, his smile widening, “you’re cute all the time. But when you’re concentrating, you get this little crinkle between your eyebrows.” His hand came up and his thumb gently brushed my face there. After a moment of reverently caressing me, he dropped his hand and wore a bashful smile. “Come on, the best part is coming up.”
I couldn’t answer him. I could only concentrate on trying to breathe normally, drawing air into my lungs and forcing it back out at a regular pace, so he didn’t pick up on the fact that my heart was pounding and palms were sweating. I’d been touched by a man before, been on the receiving end of a tender caress, but nothing had felt like that. No one had made time stop like Nate’s skin against mine.
After another thirty minutes of wandering along the path, winding through trees, and following a small stream through a narrow gorge, eventually we came to a place where the path ended.
“This is where the hike gets fun,” he said, his eyes lit up with excitement. I looked around, trying to find the next portion of trail to follow.
“Uh,” I said hesitantly. “Where exactly are we supposed to go?”
“Right through there,” he said, pointing straight ahead. I followed his finger and was still confused. The small stream we’d been following continued through a narrow crevasse. It looked like two strikingly tall rock walls with about ten feet between them. No path. No land. Only water between rock walls.
“Through the water?”
“Yeah. It’s only about waist-deep.” He said this as if wading through waist-deep water wasn’t a big deal.
“It’s only spring. That water has got to be freezing,” I said, my voice steadily climbing an octave. “And my camera…”
“Give it to me, I’ll keep it dry.”
“You want me to trust you with my camera? No one holds my camera.” I didn’t care if we were on a date or not, I wasn’t about to hand him my camera. He could have been the second coming of Christ; he wasn’t going to carry my camera.
He held up his hands but still wore a friendly smile. “No problem. I just thought I’d offer. I’m at least eight inches taller than you.” Then he shrugged and started to walk backward toward the stream.