Page 103 of How Good It Was (Excess All Areas 3)

Luke laughed. “Yeah, well. You’ll love me in about ninety minutes, so get your arse in gear, Warner. We need to be on the road in five.”

“It takes me five minutes to pee.”

He playfully pulled her to her feet. “Then you’ll be leaving dressed like that.”

“Fine, fine,” she grumbled, checking out his thick hoodie, jeans, and trainers.

It took seven minutes to use the bathroom, get dressed, and pack up some of her equipment. In the meantime, Luke had made her a travel mug of coffee, bundled two of the throws she’d bought, and grabbed the pillow off her bed.

“Just snooze and get comfy,” Luke said as they climbed into his van. He tucked one of the throws over her, then placed her pillow on her lap.

Once they were on the road, Luke put on some classic rock. Easy listening for a car ride. He had a good voice, she noticed, as he sang along to a song she didn’t recognise. His tone was soft, his pitch perfect.

It was still dark outside, and the roads were empty given the early hour. The van warmed up quickly, and the gentle hum of Luke’s singing lured her back to sleep.

Maybe it was five minutes or five days, she couldn’t tell, when Luke placed his hand on her knee. “We’ll be there soon.”

Still predawn, there was enough light in the sky to see the concrete and tarmac of the city had morphed into lush rolling hills. And lots of sheep. “Where are we?”

“The Peak District. About to climb to the top of Mam Tor.”

“Climb?” Willow looked down at her sneakers.

“Don’t worry. We park right near the summit and take some steps to the top. There’s no real rock climbing. But I thought you might want to see the sunrise, seeing it’s the solstice.”

Her heart jumped a little. It felt incredibly ... special.

Romantic, even.

“For real?”

“Yeah. This is one of the best spots to see it come up. Never super busy.” He pulled his van into a wide parking spot in the National Trust parking lot. “You ready?”

“Yes. This is amazing.”

Luke pulled a few things out of the back of the truck. A picnic blanket, a backpack. “Take your throw and your coffee. It can get chilly at the top while we wait.”

The path from the car park started easy with stone, mud, and wood steps at a steady gait. Occasionally, she’d record a few seconds of it. Their feet together at the start. The trees and shrubs shielding them on all sides. When it began to open up and the steps turned to slabs of stone, becoming steeper momentarily.

Luke held out his hand to her. “Here.”

It was warm. Secure. He let go when the steps flattened into a rolling slope.

And then, the whole world opened up in front of her. Deep valleys fell away on each side. The wide peak tapered off into the distance. And the first shimmer of orange haze kissed the V of the valley.

A large stone column stood in front of her.

“That’s the trig point,” he said. “And that’s the Edale Valley.”

There were a handful of people. Some already perched on blankets, others huddled around, talking in muted tones. The air was fresh and clean, scented with cut grass, the sky clear.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “It’s beautiful.”

She looked up at him, and for a moment, there was a pull between them. The kind of moment you don’t want to look away from. One filled with possibilities, but where neither person makes the first move.

Luke cupped her face and rubbed his thumb along her cheek. “Watch it. Film it. Tell me you’re too cold, and we can go back down. Whatever you want to do. I’ll just set up the blanket over there.”

He tipped his chin in the direction of an open patch of ground.

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