Page 69 of The Sound Of Silence

She’s going to figure out who I am and if she does… I can’t even think about it.

I try walking away, but it’s impossible to take my eyes off her as she paces back and forth at the edge of the forest, her hands locked behind her head. After a moment she stops in front of an old looking sign and steps between the trees, out of sight, only to step back again and throw her hand in the air a second later.

She does this a few times until she curses out loud and turns toward town. Toward me.Shit.

Her eyes instantly lock on mine, as though she’s blindly drawn to me like I am to her.

“Go away, Jesse,” she calls out quietly when she’s a little closer. “I left the house to avoid you.”

“I didn’t even know you were out here until I spotted you just now,” I lie, but even to my ears it’s unconvincing. “I usually run up the mountain,” I add, “but I didn’t want to bother your… ahh…whatever that was.”

As she moves toward me, my heart beats faster until it’s pounding against my rib cage.

We’re on a completely open road with no obstacles in our way and yet she bumps her shoulder into me as she walks past. “The mountains are all yours now,” she says with some bite. “Enjoy.”

That’s all it takes for me to lose my mind all over again.

Spinning around, I grab her wrist before she’s out of reach and pull her toward me, making her slam into my chest.

“What were you doing?” I lean down to whisper in her ear, my lips hovering close to her neck. “Tell me and I’ll let you go.”

She shivers but stands tall, pulling back to look up at me. “Nothing,” she seethes. “I was clearly doing nothing.”

Now that she’s up close, I can see the details of her face, and it’s clear that she’s upset—not just angry and frustrated like she’s trying to portray.

And I don’t think it has anything to do with me.

“Did something scare you?” I ask, my hand itching to brush the hair from her face.To touch her.God, who am I?

Her eyes widen but she quickly recovers, ripping her hand from mine before taking a step back. “Just leave me alone. It was nothing. It’s fine.”

“Willow.”

“Don’t ‘Willow’me. Go back to yourgirlfriend. I’m sure she misses you.”

I internally cringe as my stomach churns. I hate this. All of it. But it’s all my doing.

“How about we run home together?” I ask, because apparently I enjoy punishing myself.

“How about we don’t,” she states bluntly. “I’m not going straight home anyway. Enjoy your run.”

She takes off, without even a backward glance, and turns to the left instead of following the straight road to her house, staying true to her word.

My gaze follows her as far as my sight allows. We’re in a town full of people that know and love her, yet I can’t shake this feeling of unease I have.

What was she doing?

When she rounds the corner, out of sight, I jog to the sign she was staring at and pause.

“Hepburn Falls Trail. Mt. Beauty Lookout 1.6mi.”

She wanted to go to the lookout? Now?

After a quick glance over my shoulder, I follow the path she refused to take, pushing through the overgrown forest as I head to higher ground.

The farther I go, the more uncomfortable I feel as a realization hits me. She couldn’t go up the mountain. She was scared.Fuck. Is that a new fear or is… Nope, I know the answer. But I continue on anyway. Even if it’s only for my own personal torture.

By the time I reach the clearing, I’ve got scratches all over my bare arms, and my calves ache. This path isn’t an easy walk, especially in the dark. But the second I get to the lookout, my pain fades away as I stare out into the vast landscape in awe.

---