Page 30 of Keep in Touch

“You won’t get far,” the man shouted. He was showing no signs of slowing down. “I’ll find you.”

Lucie pumped her tired legs a little faster, and Chris did the same.

“He’s like Liam Neeson from that movieTaken,” Lucie shouted at Chris.

Chris’s chuckles carried loudly through the woods. “Don’t make me laugh, or he’ll get us. You’re incredible, Lucie. Funny and fearless.”

She didn’t have time to blush. There was a livid park ranger to shake off. Imagine the trouble she’d get in if he did find her or if he found her dad! She laughed loudly at the idea.I am trouble too, and I don’t care.

*****

“Oh my God.” Chris laughed with her as they ran. “I can’t believe we got away from that park ranger guy.”

He held her hand as they threaded through the village square, dodging groups of strangers enjoying the late Saturday afternoon sunshine. Her chest hurt from the laughter, but she shrieked with joy as she remembered their adventure.

They ducked past a dad blowing massive bubbles for his toddler, who danced gaily in circles and clapped her hands. “And he chased us for what? Like a quarter of a mile?”

“At least he wasn’t Liam Neeson. Imagine what the ranger’s skills are.”

“He might have cut us in half with a chainsaw,” Lucie shouted before they threw themselves into two chairs outside the coffee shop. She laughed between big gasps of air as she attempted to get her breath under control. The clucking of an unimpressed older lady caught her attention. Were people so bothersome that happy teenagers put them off their early evening coffees? She never wanted to be like that.

Lucie refused to let the suppressive nature of the adults in the holiday village get to her as she reminisced about her adventure. The ride down the hill was a mixture of terrifying and enthralling. She’d never felt anything like it. She’d turned her head in the direction of the ranger after they’d sped past him.The hill was behind him and not that high after all. It was her fears making it appear larger than it was.

But if she could do that, then maybe she’d have the confidence to do other things.

A waitress appeared at their table, and they gave their orders.

“I’m so proud of you,” Chris said when they’d finally got their breath back. “When you were going down that hill, you were like a superhero.”

“It wasn’t that impressive,” she interjected. Chris raised his eyebrows as if to reprimand her. “Okay, okay. I’m freaking Elastigirl!”

“FromThe Incredibles?” He laughed so hard that his chair wobbled, and he grabbed the table to stop him toppling out of it. “That makes me Mr. Incredible.”

That started him laughing again before he began humming the theme tune from the movie. The waitress dropped off their coffees but disappeared quickly. It was a busy time at the holiday village. Everyone from the oldest grandmas to the littlest kids was out having fun.

Chris winked at her and flexed his muscles, setting off her giggles again. She was light-headed from all the happiness propelling through her. Where had those muscles come from? Although he fascinated her, she’d not considered his body too much before. Did he have rock-hard pecs like the guys in boy bands did, or was it a little toned? She chewed her lower lip while imagining it. She covered her mouth with a cough as he grinned back at her. He couldn’t know what she was thinking!

“Will you draw as we chat? I love watching you draw,” he said gently.

She reached into her blue rucksack and located her drawing pad and pencil. She flicked through the pages, trying to find a blank one, but Chris stopped her on the page with the drawingshe’d started of him. “Please, that one,” he asked. “I want to keep it when you’ve finished it.”

She ripped it from the spine before dropping the pad back in her bag. Then, with a shy smile, she added shading, aware of his gaze fixed on her. She let the pencil flow across the page. Occasionally she’d take sly looks in his direction to make sure she was incorporating the correct details of his features and because it allowed her to study him.

“I’m going to miss this on Monday when we’ve gone from here. I met you a day ago, and I can’t imagine going to university and not seeing you again.” Chris’s honesty made her blush. Was he playing games with her? Guys didn’t usually display their vulnerability so readily. And yet he’d seen some of hers. Why did her inner voice keep reminding her what her family had said?

“Are you nervous about going?” she asked, avoiding what he’d said and attempting to hide her awkwardness by giving her coffee little blows to cool it down before returning to the drawing. Yet, even with her misgivings, there was a heat to her cheeks.

He tried to hide his face with his cup but she still saw how he twisted his lips. “Yeah. I’m worried about my dad and how he’ll be,” he admitted.

“And how he’ll fit in the time to have all the girlfriends,” she quipped.

He laughed, but it was a hollow sound. “Yeah, that. But also, what if I get there and no one wants to be my friend? What if I don’t get on with my flatmates or I’m rubbish at my course?”

His vulnerability touched her. He appeared to be the most confident guy in the world, but there were depths there. His head dropped, and he studied the steam coming off his coffee. “Do you know anyone else going to your university?” she asked.

“Not really. I was originally going to go to the same one as my girlfriend—ex-girlfriend—but then she decided uni wasn’t for her. So I guess I’m going alone now.”

“Oh.” Lucie fiddled with her pen, spinning it in circles on the edge of her thumb. “Is that why you broke up?”

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