“I found a place out near my house that I want to climb and get a look around. I thought you might be up to helping me explore a little,” he looked at me expectantly. I knew I wouldn’t tell him no. He seemed to know too, because he held his hand out to me and I took it with little hesitation. He helped me climb into his truck, so much for needing that ladder, and then he drove towards Manistee.
During the drive he peppered me with questions. We talked about my life growing up in a small town with two working parents. I told him how much I loved swimming and fishing in the many streams and lakes in the area. He made me promise to take him to my favorite fishing spot one day.
I told him about falling out of a tree in my back yard when I was eight and cracking my collar bone. He chuckled as I complained about not being able to draw for ages and eating tons of jello to try to get the break to heal faster.
When I mentioned my art, he asked what I liked to draw. I told him about trying a lot of different things. I especially loved to draw nature. The forests we were driving in were a constant source of inspiration. He asked to see some of my pictures, and I told him maybe one day.
By the time Alex had parked his car in a visitor’s lot we had covered both of my jobs, including some of my funnier finds in the cabins, and Delilah and how she was going to college to become a nurse. I had never told a guy so much about myself before and I was a little surprised at how easily I talked to Alex.
“Wow, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hog the conversation,” I still couldn’t figure out what it was about Alex that made me braver. It was just like at the bar the day before. I had never spoken to a guy like that. He just seemed to push me somehow and I liked feeling the freedom that came with saying exactly what I had been thinking.
“Don’t worry about it,” Alex said as he helped me out of the truck, “I loved hearing you talk. Most girls aren’t quite so forthcoming. I get introduced to enough girls who try to tell me what they think I want to hear.” I thought it was a little odd to admit that on a date. He didn’t seem to think so as he continued, “Anyway, ask me whatever you want if it’d help you feel better.”
So, as I followed along behind him to the rock face he wanted to climb he told me about himself. He told me all about the mountains and forests in Colorado. I was dying to get the chance to see them one day. He talked a lot about his big family and how close knit they all were.
When he talked about his adopted sister, Tegan, I noticed his face softened. A look I could only contribute to being a big brother crossed his face when he told me about Wyatt liking her. I suspected it was hard for him to let his best friend become involved with his sister.
I asked him about who all lived with him now, and he told me about the rest of his friends who had moved with him from Colorado. I couldn’t imagine moving so far from home just to live with a friend, but the more he talked about them, the more I realized that they were more family than friends.
Once I finally exhausted some of my curiosity, he showed me the climbing he had been talking about. I looked up at the rock face. It wasn’t overly steep, and several feet up there was a ledge. I looked at him in surprise.
“Most guys would have just taken me to a movie,” I pointed out, but I couldn’t help grinning. I couldn’t wait to start climbing and see how the forest looked from the ledge.
“I never claimed to be like most guys,” he flashed a flirty half smile at me, “Besides, you would have been bored at a movie.” He reached up and found a handhold and pulled himself up. I smiled at his statement. I would have definitely been bored at a movie. I reached up to find my own handhold and started climbing up towards the ledge with him.
We climbed in silence, each concentrated on finding solid places to step and hold on. It may not have been steep, but a lot of the rocks were loose. My shoes slipped once, and for a brief moment I was prepared to be bruised and bloodied from the tumble back to the forest floor. At the last instance Alex reached out and grabbed my arm, holding me steady until I could find a stable place to place my foot. I smiled at him gratefully and continued climbing. After around fifteen minutes of climbing we were standing on the ledge.
From that height the ground was much farther down than I had expected. The forest around us was beautiful, just like I had imagined. The colors ranged from brilliant emerald to dark pine green. The sun was casting shadows that could let a person imagine most anything in the leaves, like finding a rabbit in the clouds. I couldn’t wait to start sketching. I could already picture how I would work the shadows.
Alex seemed content to lay back, propped up on his arms, and look out over the forest. I sat down in an area where the shadows in the trees were catching and I pulled out my sketch pad and pencils. I started out gazing at the pines, birches, and oaks that made up the forest in front of me, but I kept finding myself looking at Alex.
He was in profile and
