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“I’m going to be with you, Parker. Every step of the way. You know that, don’t you?”

“I do.” I nodded, taking his palm into my own. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

About thirty minutes later, and we were at the start of the hiking trail, with Nicholas parking his truck as close to the trail as he possibly could. I knew that it wasn’t a sign of his disbelief in my leg feeling better and had more to do with not wanting to push me too hard, ever, but it still made something flip in my stomach.

Not normal.

That was not normal.

I was not normal.

I took in a deep breath as I followed Nicholas’ lead, the beginning of the trail nice and neat. It must’ve been the sort of thing marked off for people new to hiking, as evidenced by the way the trail had been clearly outlined, separating it from the rocks and pebbles. It was an easy enough re-introduction to hiking, the familiar warmth of the sun basking down against my skin, the fresh air filling my lungs. I was even happy to hold Nicholas’ hand the whole way through, every so often squeezing his palm when I crossed paths with something I wanted him to see, like a particularly beautiful tree or a small frog resting on a nearby leaf.

“How are you feeling?” Nicholas eventually asked, as we came to a fork in the road. “Do you think you’re up for something a little more challenging?”

“I… think so, yeah,” I replied, my leg having not bothered me at all throughout the trip.

Nicholas flashed me a smile, before he started to walk down a different path, veering off to the left. Immediately, I could tell that this was meant to be the more advanced side of the hike, the lines between what was trail and what was nature blurred without any clear lines to differentiate them from each other. Still, I steadied myself as we began our ascent, trying my best not to think about what it would mean if I wasn’t able to do this, if I would have to retire from my days as a co-owner of Wild Woods HQ?—

No.

I couldn’t let myself think like that. If Nicholas believed I could do this, there was no reason to think I couldn’t. And even if my leg started to act up, it was obvious that Nicholas would be fine with turning around, with trying again tomorrow…

No matter how many tomorrows it might take.

My heart swelled for a moment as I thought about how much time and care Nicholas had devoted to me while I was recovering from my injury, how he’d been at my side no matter what time it was, night or day. It was something so special to me, how reliable he was, how much he was willing to pour into my well just to make sure that I had enough. My thoughts then turned to things I’d never allowed myself to think of with anyone else, things like matching rings, like buying an actual home together, like going to a shelter and picking out the cutest dog?—

Like sharing a life with someone in a very real way.

“Here we are,” Nicholas said, coming to a sudden stop. We were in the middle of a clearing, a picnic blanket already laid out in the very center of it. There was also an old-school boombox resting against the trunk of a tree, its cassette area open and waiting for a tape.

“Nicholas?” I looked over at him, confused. “What is all this?”

“A reward for being brave.” He shrugged with a smile. “I figured if you were willing to test out your leg with something harder, you should get something in return.”

“Something like what?”

“Something like this,” he said, already making his way over to the boombox. A few seconds later, and he’d slid a tape inside it, a soft, classical tune soon filling the air around us. When he was done, he came back to where I was standing and gently grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the picnic blanket until our sneakers were right on top of its fabric.

“Nicholas, why are we standing on top of a picnic blanket?”

“You mean the dance floor?”

“Oh, my God. Is that what this is?” My eyes went wide with surprise. “You’re dancing with me?”

“Absolutely.”

“But you never dance.”

“I’ll dance with you, right here, right now,” he replied, his hands shifting down to my waist. “Assuming you want to dance with me, too?”

“Of course, I want to dance with you, Nicholas!” I shouted with excitement. “I just seriously thought this would never happen in a million years! Honestly, I’m not sure it’s happening now, either. Maybe I’m just hallucinating and you’re about to violently shake me awake?—”

“No hallucinations here,” Nicholas said, his voice tinged with nerves. “Although, you have to forgive me if I step on your toes. I was serious about not being much of a dancer.”

“You can step on my toes all you want, babe.” I beamed up at him as I rested my hands against his shoulders. “You have no idea how happy this makes me.”

Nicholas nodded as he began to slightly sway us to the music, moving our bodies in a small circle as violins and violas played on in the background. It was such a surreal moment that I was struggling to let it sink in, still idly wondering if this was some sort of elaborate prank, if my Nicholas had been replaced by one who’d sneak dances with me in the forest.

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