Page 37 of Fear of Intimacy

“You better watch your back.” I was going to get him back one way or another. Grabbing my phone and bag from his hand, I turned on my heel and started for the trail.

“You’re welcome!” Trevor called out as I walked off. The only response I could muster was lifting both hands and giving him double middle fingers, Trevor’s laughter following me back down the path.

12

TASHA

“What the hell happened to you two?” was the first thing out of Lydia’s mouth. Four pairs of eyes turned to look at Trevor and me as we came to a stop in front of our group of friends. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what we looked like.

“This idiot,” I jabbed my thumb in Trevor’s direction, “decided it would be a fun idea to go on a hike. And then proceeded to shove me into a pond.”

“You shoved me first!” Trevor was quick to say.

“No, I didn’t! You lost your balance and toppled over.” I said as I turned to face Trevor in disbelief.

“Well, then youlost your balancetoo.” He shot back.

My mouth fell open at his words. “You are such a liar!”

“Is that why you’re covered in dirt?” Mila butted in. I glanced down at my soil-covered legs.

The trail back to town was pretty much loose gravel, which just clung to our wet shoes and legs. Didn’t help that the wind decided to pick up and pelt us. And add in the fact that we got lost for a good twenty minutes as well. My shoes,legs, and even my clothes were encrusted with what now looked like dried mud.

My clothes had spots that were still soaked and my hair was practically a bird's nest. Trevor fared a bit better but even he was covered. Between the two of us, we looked rough.

“It looks like you guys rolled around a mud pit,” Landon commented.

“Gee, thanks,” I deadpanned, self-consciously touching my hair. Wasn’t exactly how I wanted to look for this, but there wasn’t time to go back to the hotel and clean up. A hand on my lower back had me turning to find Trevor close by.

“You still look beautiful, Sunshine,” he whispered in my ear. I blushed at his words.

Trying to turn the attention away from me, I peered around Mila. “It hasn’t happened yet, right?”

“Not yet. Wyatt took her into a shop just a moment ago so we can get into position.” Thank God we didn’t miss it.

“Okay, everyone fan out around the lighthouse,” Mila whispered, even though she didn’t need to. Josie’s camera hung around her neck.

Excited for my best friend, I echoed the grin on everyone’s face. Josie had no clue what was going to happen, but lucky for her, all of us were going to be there to witness it.

Up ahead along the pathway was a gorgeous lighthouse that overlooked the ocean. It was situated up on a hill so it stood above the town. Its beautiful white stone and red roof stood out amongst the greenery of the island.

Leaving our spot from the pathway to the lighthouse we all branched out. As I speed walked toward a spot to hide, I briefly admired the tall piece of architecture. It truly was the perfect place for this. We were all kind of flying by the seat of our pants since we had no way to practice what was coming.

Claiming a spot near the base of the lighthouse, I had the perfect view of the ocean straight ahead, along with the cobblestone path and rock wall that was just in front of the lighthouse for tourists to sit and admire the view.

Glancing around, I saw Mila to the left of me a little bit, tucked against the building with Josie’s camera poised. Lydia was standing lower down the hill by the pathway trying to act normal. I had no clue where the guys were, but I briefly caught a glimpse of Bryton’s head over a bush further down the hill. We were all spread out along the lighthouse to get all the angles.

Poised and ready to go, I waited. I couldn’t believe this was finally happening. For years, Josie and I talked about finding someone to spend the rest of our lives with. A guy who was everything we wanted and more. And Josie found that. She found her person.

I'd never met someone who put my best friend above everything. Wyatt was the kind of man you searched your whole life for, and I couldn’t be happier that Josie found him without having to waste years of her life giving other guys, who weren’t right for her, endless opportunities. Back in uni, Josie was with such an asshole. He made her feel less than, and I vowed to never let another man make her feel like that again. When it came to Wyatt, I didn’t have to worry about that.

Blinking rapidly, I tried to get rid of the tears that threatened to spill. I was just glad I was here to witness their special moment.

Another minute passed before I heard Josie’s voice coming up the pathway to the lighthouse. Thankfully only a few other tourists were scattered around but none were near enough to ruin this perfect moment.

Josie and Wyatt appeared down the path, headed for the rock wall overlooking the ocean. The lump in my throatgrew as I looked at my best friend. As briefly planned I lifted my phone up, pressed record, aiming the camera at the two of them. All of our friend group were supposed to record this moment from every angle so Josie could watch it back later.

“This place is stunning!” I heard Josie gush as she walked over to the rock wall, her gaze on the ocean.

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