Kenny lifted herself to her feet and squeezed my hand. “All right. Let’s go.”
It didn’t go unnoticed that she refused to look to the right, toward the edge, but that was okay. Whatever it took to get her there.
About seven feet away, a large, jagged rock leaned against the one we were on. It was slanted away from us, as if it had slid down and settled between this boulder and the giant one on the other side, rooting itself into the earth below. This was the part I assumed would be a feat to get her through, so I decided against explaining it to her.
She followed me to the massive stone but quickly planted her feet and refused to budge.
“It’s okay, Kenny. We’re not climbing this one.”
“Then what are we doing with it? Don’t tell me we’re sliding down it.”
Laughter rolled through my chest, though I fought hard to keep it from reaching the surface. I doubted Kenny would appreciate it. “No, we just have to go over it. The opening to where I’m taking you is right behind it.”
“Then you go first.”
“Only if you swear you’ll follow me, because I can’t get back out this way, and it would take a while to get all the way around and back to you. And I doubt you’ll make it back down to the truck on your own. So you have to follow me.”
She nodded—hesitantly and full of uncertainty, but a nod nonetheless.
Crouching to keep my center of gravity as close to the ground as possible, I grabbed ahold of the jagged rock, swung one leg over, and paused to confirm one more time that Kenny would follow. “There’s dirt behind here…” I gestured to the narrow space between the two boulders. “Dig your heel in as you pull your other leg over, and then it’s one step down from there. Got it?”
Again, she nodded.
A verbal response would’ve been better, but my Grans always told me that beggars can’t be choosers. And right now, I was on the verge of begging.
In one sweeping motion, I demonstrated what to do and hoped she was paying attention. About thirty seconds later, Kenny cautiously followed my instructions and swung her leg over. She lowered herself between the rocks, enough for me to grab her by the hips and help her the rest of the way down. She could’ve done it by herself, but I saw an opportunity to touch her, so I took it.
Once again, I laced my fingers through hers to lead her along the curve in the side of the stone formation, closer to the waterfall. It wasn’t more than five steps, but there was just something about holding her hand that I enjoyed.
The second we made it around the boulder, the smell of water and rock consumed me. It was impossible to describe, but it held the power to heal any ache. And growing up, I’d dealt with my fair share of invisible wounds—all of which would melt away with one lungful of this air, one whiff of this brand of nature.
There was nothing else like it.
Except maybe a sound.
Kenny stood motionless—eyes wide, mouth gaping, one hand clutched to her chest—and gasped. It was unmistakable. Over the sound of rushing water, over the echo of each splash, I heard her gasp. It was enough to still my heart. Enough to make me stop and take notice. Enough to fill me with a happiness I’d never felt before.
It was like I couldn’t smell or hear prior to her.
Suddenly, I realized that, because of Kenny, I finally understood poetry. She had exposed me to a world where normal words couldn’t begin to describe the colors, sounds, and scents that I experienced when I was around her.
My chest ached, constricted so tightly that I worried my heart would burst like a child’s balloon. She would be leaving in a few days. Taking that world with her. Taking away the colors and sounds and scents. Leaving me with muted senses, as if they refused to function without her.
“Oh my God, Drew. This is beautiful.” Her soft voice, filled with awe, broke through the gloom that had invaded my thoughts.
“The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” I admitted while staring at her, paying no mind to the spray from the falls that acted as a veil between us and the rest of the world.
We were on the backside, locked in an alcove hidden in the rocks. The cascading water warped the soft sunlight, basking us both in an ethereal glow. And when she turned to face me, her eyes glistening, she looked like an angel. My angel.
“How did you ever find this place?”
I fought against the need to move her hair away from her face and tuck it behind her ears. To give my hands something to do, I toyed with the hem of my shirt. “I was just climbing the rocks one day, trying to get closer to the waterfall. I’m sure I can’t be the only person who knows about this place, but in all the years I’ve come, I’ve never seen anyone else.”
“Do you come here a lot?” She sounded out of breath, and I wondered if it was fear or something else. And if it was something else, I desperately wanted to know if it was the same reason I struggled to breathe.
“I did when I was younger. Ever since my responsibilities at the resort increased, I haven’t come here nearly as often as I used to. I don’t really get that much time anymore. I have two days a week, and at least one of those days I go out on the boat.”
She glanced over her shoulder, back at the wall of roaring water, and asked, “So what do you do up here?”
“Whatever. Usually I sit and think, and then I jump.”
“That seems really dangerous. Doesn’t the water drag you down?”
“Not at all. I’ve done this more times than I can count.”
At least she didn’t seem as fearful as she had before we got here. Maybe it was the power of this place—the healing power.
She held out her hand and ran it over the backside of the water, as if touching a solid piece of glass. The wonderment on her face—her parted lips, curved corners of her mouth, sparkling eyes—reaffirmed my decision to share my piece of heaven with her.
With fingertips playing the falling water like a cello, plucking at invisible strings, Kenny glanced my way. A wave of peace seemed to wash over her, or maybe it was her fear melting away, but it happened the same time her sparkling eyes met mine. The definition of absolute happiness curled her lips and colored her cheeks. It was a sight I wanted to breathe in. It was as though I needed it to live, needed it to pump blood through my veins and supply oxygen to my brain. It was a feeling I’d never experienced before. One I never wanted to forget—it was that powerful.
I took one step. Then two.
Then three.
Until I found myself standing directly in front of her. Until her exhales hit my neck and the heat from her body wrapped around me, adding a striking contrast to the cool spray coming off the waterfall next to us.
“So beautiful.” The words floated up my throat, crawled over my tongue, and flew past my lips in a confession delivered in a bundle of air. That familiar veil of embarrassment fell over her face, and it took everything in me not to take her in my arms and show her everything she didn’t have to be embarrassed about.
Instead, I carefully rested my hands on her hips and pulled her to me. As soon as I had her body against mine, her eyes flashed with recognition. She responded by wrapping her arms around my neck, toying with the hair on the back of my head.
She regarded me expectantly. I knew what she wanted, what she anticipated. What she yearned for. But I couldn’t give it to her—not yet. I knew that our interaction would likely be limited after kissing, so I took my time memorizing every feature on her face.