Page 21 of Wandering Closer

“Nah, I don’t have a change of clothes.” I’m enjoying the refreshing water swirling around my legs. I want to tell him that this place is magical. I feel small, and inconsequential in this big forest, and something about that feels freeing. Like my problems aren’t so big, and I don’t have to stew over Andrea’s words about Tyler, or that being this close to him half naked makes my body come alive. “You know my favorite color, but I never asked yours.”

“Blue,” he answers immediately. “Blue like the sky on a hot summer day. Like the crystal waters we are standing in. Like the sapphire blue of yo- Shadow, NO!”

I follow his line of sight, right as Shadow stands directly over my discarded shirt and shakes. A startled laugh leaves my lips, as Shadow sits on the now soaked shirt. Her head cocks to the side as she stares at us, confused.

“I’m so sorry,” Thoren wades through the water behind me. “I have a spare shirt in my bag. I grabbed an extra shirt and shorts in case we decided to get in. I’ll wash your shirt too, it’s going to smell like wet dog.” He seems distressed over a little water and dirt on my old tee.

I touch his arm, letting him see the sincerity in my eyes. “It’s okay, it’s just a shirt. And she’s a dog. It’s not a big deal.”

He looks down at me, the heat radiating off his body. His gaze searches my face, but I’m not sure what he’s looking for. Prickles of awareness touch my skin as his warm breath coasts over my face, and cold water droplets slip from his hair onto my overheated skin. I let my hand drop, trailing down his arm asit goes. Shadow’s sharp bark breaks the moment, and he steps back, breaking eye contact.

“I guess we should pack up and go before it gets too late. The hike back always takes longer.”

He pulls a rolled up tee from his backpack and hands it to me before packing up everything and shoving it back in. He pulls on fresh shorts and his same green shirt, and we head back out the way we came. If the trails to get here were confusing the first time, they seem even worse now. I would have been lost in an instant without Thoren leading the way. He seems lost in thought and distant since our moment in the water. I think he was going to tell me his favorite color was blue like my eyes, and a part of me wanted to hear it, even if I shouldn’t.

The walk back remains quiet, both of us focusing on the nature around us. His hand stays wrapped around mine again though, and I really like that. He feels present in this moment with me, aware of my footfalls and breathing. He slows when I get a little short winded, his thumb coasting over my knuckles when roots overtake the path.

Before I know it, we are back at the truck. Thoren opens the passenger door for me before he puts Shadow and his backpack in the back seat. Shadow’s wet and dirty head pops over the console, giving us sad puppy eyes, as he starts the truck.

“I’m guessing she’s used to sitting in the passenger seat,” I joke, giving her a chin scratch.

“Yeah, you kind of stole her domain. I try to keep her in the back, but she just jumps over the seat right away. I don’t mind having a passenger princess though,” he smirks. He rolls the back window down, pulling Shadow’s attention toward it. With the front windows shut and the back open, the wind billows his large shirt I’m wearing. My mouth waters as the scent of his cologne wafts up. It’s a mix of the woods, sage, and amber, reminding me of a warm hug on an autumn day.

I try to subtly lift it to my nose, taking a deep inhale. “Thank you for taking me with you today. I needed an excuse to get out of the house. Your secret location is safe with me, but I may go there again. It brought on a peace like I’ve never felt before.”

A smile touches his lips when he turns to me. “I feel that there, too. There’s no service that deep in the woods to distract me, and something about that little open space surrounded by nothing but thick woods makes me feel like I’m in my own little world.”

He turns onto our lane, and pulls up in front of my cabin, leaving the truck running. Leaning his head back against the headrest, he rolls it to look at me again. “Shadow will be alone most of Thursday, if you would like to spend time with her again.”

“I would love that. Thanks again for today, Thoren,” I open the door and grab my backpack from by my feet as I hop out.

He nods, a faraway look crossing his features. “Have a good night, Lily.”

I shut the door, and head into the cabin. I fight a smile when I notice his truck doesn’t pull away until my front door is shut.

CHAPTER NINE

thoren

Thursday morning, Jake and I are tasked with driving through local campgrounds and boat launch sites for safety and standard checks. He snags the keys off the hook for one of the ranger’s trucks before I can, stomping outside. He glances over as he turns to reverse from the spot, “Spill it.”

“Spill what?” I feign innocence.

“You returned my trailer when you knew I’d be gone last week for starters. Then you never filled River and I in on how Saturday went, and now you’ve been pensive all morning. I’m guessing it all has to do with Lily, so spill it.”

“I don’t know where to start.”

“Start with borrowing the trailer last week. How’d it go with the deck?”

“So well that she cooked me dinner as a thanks. She helped the entire time, never getting discouraged. So different from what I’m used to, ya know?” A small grin pops out, just thinking about spending that evening with her.

“Not to be a dick, but the bar isn’t exactly high to be better than Jen.” He gives me a pointed look as he turns into thecampgrounds and slows our pace to a crawl. “How did Saturday night go? You fucking blew it, didn’t you?”

“No, it went really well, actually. I didn’t make it a date, and I didn’t give her the flowers. We had a nice meal together, and I answered all her baseball questions for her book. I told her I would take her to Seattle to see River play.”

His head whips to me again, shaking subtly. “Why would you do that, man?”

I take my time looking out the window, making sure there aren’t piles of trash laying around or any destroyed property. “It’s not like that with her. She didn’t ask to go, didn’t even ask to meet him. I offered it up.”

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