Page 11 of Fated Shot

I glance back toward the party, scanning the scene ahead of me. We’re far enough away that it’d be hard to see us. Even so, everyone seems to be too busy enjoying themselves to notice us. Even if they did see, a walk is innocent. I can’t very well let a girl walk into the forest alone. There are bears, or fox, or… geese and those fuckers are deadly. It’s the gentlemanly thing to do, and not at all because I’d follow this girl anywhere she’d allow me.

It’s decided. It takes me less than five strides to catch up to her as she continues down the now-winding path.

“I love it here,” she whispers when I join her, not breaking her gaze from the trail ahead.

“It really is beautiful.”

I’m half a pace behind, noticing a small shiver run though her body, goosebumps forming on her bare shoulders. It’s at least ten degrees cooler in here and the sun is barely peeking through the mature trees around us.

She’s cold, Jack.Do something, genius.

I immediately pull off the corduroy jacket I threw on over my white t-shirt. If I learned one thing from my summer in Wyndham, it’s that you can easily experience all four seasons in a single day. It’s better to come prepared.

“Uh hey, Mia? Do you want my jacket?” I offer, extending it to her. She seems hesitant to take it, so I continue, “I’m roasting.” It’s a lie, but a harmless one.Bring on the tundra.

“Oh, okay. Thank you.” She smiles appreciatively as she puts her arms through it. She’s not tiny by any means, actually quite tall with curves in all the right places, but the jacket still drowns her. She looks so cute. I’m musing at the sight of her in my clothes, some sort of cave-man mentality. The sleeves extend far past her hands, and the jacket lands at the same length as her dress, flowing well above her knee and exposing most of her thighs. Good god, it should be illegal to look this good. I think she catches me looking, so I immediately change the subject.

“So, uh,” clearing my throat, “how good were those cookies?” Thankfully, my brain decided to settle on a neutral topic.

“Ha, I would hope so. I made them.”

I gape at her for a moment. Of course she did, she’s fucking incredible. “No way! They are insanely good. You should sell them or something.”

She giggles, and it’s a fucking masterpiece to hear, “I actually do. I have an online shop. It’s so fun, I love it.”

“Wow, that’s so awesome. What’s it called?”

“Cookie & Co,” she says happily, smiling up at me.

“Oh, great name. Short and sweet, I like it.” Making a mental note to search for it as soon as I get home.

We fall silent for a little while as we continue down the path. It’s a nice break from the chatter of the party. It doesn’t feel awkward progressing in silence, but this is finally my chance to talk to her.

“So it’s your birthday, huh?”

“Tomorrow, actually,” she shares.

“Any big plans?”

“No. I think tonight’s surprise was more than enough excitement,” she mentions as her body stiffens. “Unfortunately, I’ll be spending most of the day packing.”

It doesn’t look like she’s ready to talk about what happened, and I’m not convinced I can have that conversation with her without coming off like a jealous sociopath, so I focus on the second part.

“Are you moving?” I ask, trying to sound as nonchalant as I can muster.

“Yeah, to the city. I got an apartment in the Parkside Place area.”

Excitement grows in me. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with me? So much for chill.

“No way! Maplewood Tower? A lot of us live there; it’s a great complex.”

“Oakcrest, actually.” It’s still quite nice, but being the older building, it has smaller apartments. While we share amenities, Maplewood offers newer, more spacious units.

“Nice, so I guess that makes us neighbors.” I flash a smile at her, which immediately causes her to blush again. She starts studying the trail like it’ll hide her blazing cheeks from my view. We settle back into silence, letting the peaceful sounds of the forest play out around us for a few minutes until she comes to a stop ahead of me. I follow suit, pausing in my tracks.

“We should probably make our way back. It’s getting late.”

I reluctantly nod, noticing the quickly sinking sun above us. Turning, we quietly retrace our steps until I can see the light of the little building shining through the trailhead opening. She shrugs off my jacket, handing it back to me.

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