Page 30 of A Vicious Rumor

"I know."

Twenty minutes later found us stuffing a bag full of salad, smoothies and cashew based mac'n cheese into the Jeep. "Where to?" Tyson asked.

"Head back to the park, but head North this time."

We drove in silence for the ten or so minutes it took to get through traffic and back over to the waterfront. We found a street parking spot close to where I wanted to go, and walked the rest of the way there.

"Where are you taking us?" Tyson asked, as I led him down a winding trail and then finally off the road completely.

I sipped my berry and almond milk smoothie and pulled back a tree branch before ducking underneath it.

"Do you always have to know exactly how things are going to work out?" I asked him, genuinely trying to figure out how he worked. "Don't you ever get excited about the adventure?"

"No," he replied. "Adventure is just another word for unmitigated risk."

"Life would be rather boring if you knew exactly what was going to happen," I replied. My foot snagged on a tree root as we climbed through the underbrush. I yelped as I felt myself start to go down, but I didn't hit the ground.

Tyson's strong arms wrapped around me, and he pulled me back against his muscled frame. "Not at all," he said, breathing heavily from running to catch me. "I'd find that situation to be," he paused and squeezed me a bit tighter. "Rather enjoyable." His lips ghosted against the back of my neck and I felt shivers run through my entire body.

I wriggled free from him, not able to handle my own nerves and brushed a lock of blonde hair out of my face. "If nothing is destined, then anything is possible."

Tyson walked back to the bag of food and picked it up before turning back to look at me with his dark brown eyes. "Did you read that on a painted sign in Target?"

I stuck my tongue out at him and turned back around, heading to the water's edge. Finally the trees cleared a little bit and we came upon a small outcropping of crushed rocks.

"How'd you find this place?" Tyson asked, sitting down and pulling the food out of the bag.

I grinned mischievously. "When I was just going with the flow, letting life lead me somewhere new."

"Life's a dick if it thought leading a young girl through the forest alone was a good idea," he replied, popping the lid off the mac'n'cheese.

"I'm fairly certain life is non-binary," I replied.

Tyson gave me a confused look.

I grabbed my own container and popped the lid. "It doesn't identify as one gender over the other." He still looked confused. "So, it doesn't have a dick."

"I didn't say it had a dick," he replied. "I just said it was being one."

I furrowed my brows. "Can women be dicks?"

"I'm not going there," he replied.

"Why?"

"Because no matter what I say, it's going to be the wrong thing," he replied, taking a sip of his drink.

"You worry too much," I said, taking a sip of my own.

He shrugged. "I think I worry exactly the right amount. I think everyone else worries too little."

"Maybe," I replied. We sat in silence as we watched the sun paint beautiful colors across the sky. When we finally finished eating, I put my container into the bag and worked up the courage to ask him what had been on my mind. "So, where've you been all this time?"

"Busy," he said, putting his own trash into the bag.

I rolled my eyes and looked out at the water. "You know, I'm not okay with it," I said.

"Okay with what?" He moved closer to me and started to wrap an arm around me, but I dipped my shoulders so he couldn’t.

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