voice.
“Hello?” he said, sounding annoyed.
My confidence faltered at the fru stration in his tone, but I take a steadying breath and force my mouth to open. “Hi, Tri stan, this is Katherine,” I say shyly.
There i s a brief silence on the other end, then a slamming of a door. “Katherine! Hi, uh, sorry about that… How are you?” he said, much kinder and the flutters in my stomach take off.
“It’s ok. I’m good, but I’m call ing to see if… maybe… you could, I mean, if you want to, come to my aunt’s house today and go hiking with me? I’ve had enough calculus to last a lifetime,” I say, trying to sound uninterested .
Again, a brief silence followed. “Sure, that sounds great, actually. What’s your address?” he asks, sounding genuinely pleased.
“She lives at 113 Clingsburge Road,” I say. “I mean, we live,” I correct.
This time, the silence on the other side of the phone is even longer. I wait, but still no response. “Hello?” I ask, feeling foolish.
“Yeah, sorry. Is Rachel home?”
I shake my head and then realize he can’t see me through the phone. Rolling my e yes at my stupidity, I say “No. Y ou know her?”
He laughs, sounding light. “You do remember how small this town is, right?”
I laugh too, smiling at the sound of his. “I could never forget. You can come over whenever you want,” I say, sounding like a school girl again.
To my surprise, he agrees to be over in ten minutes. We hang up with a casual “see you soon!” and I am in panic mode. What was I thinking? I wasn’t, that’s the problem. Maybe I didn’t make this decision at all; I’ve been a big believer in fate of late, as would be acceptable given th e circumstances, but terror still shoots up my spine.
PANG! The actual fear hits me like thousands of icicle tips, pricking at my skin with their cold points. I clutch my stomach, warding off the fear with thoughts of David, Tristan’s eyes, and the Montana landscape. Before I know it, the feeling i s gone, having left a cool, unco mfortable sting behind. There i s a knock on the door, sending my heartbeat into frenzy.
I take a deep breath and p ull my hair around to the front of my neck to frame my face. Lifting my chin higher and pulling my shirt sleeves down, I open t he door. Tristan looks striking in a black button-down long-sleeve shirt hanging open over a white t-shirt that graces his torso while dark jeans and black boots cover his lower half. His smile is the most dazzling of all; brightening his blue ey es and making them shine. I feel my temperature rise and blink a few times, trying to get a grip on myself.
“Good afternoon,” he says, voice dripping with happi ness but still so sexy. I lick my lips without thinking.
Eyes never leaving his, I say, “You too. Want to hit the trails immediately or have a snack first?” I ask.
He purses his perfect lips, making mine tingle in an unfamiliar way. I bite my lower lip, forcing it to stop behaving so ridiculously. “Why don’t we go for a different type of hike… save ourselves the walk ,” he says , raising his eyebrows, voice suspiciously innocent.
I raise my left eyebrow, showing my confusion. Tristan smiles and laughs at my expression. “Come on, I can tell you need a little peace and quiet,” he says, cocky grin morphing into a sad little smile.
Still confused, I shrug, stepping out into the sunlight. I don’t care where we go or what we do, as long as Tristan is with
“Hello?” he said, sounding annoyed.
My confidence faltered at the fru stration in his tone, but I take a steadying breath and force my mouth to open. “Hi, Tri stan, this is Katherine,” I say shyly.
There i s a brief silence on the other end, then a slamming of a door. “Katherine! Hi, uh, sorry about that… How are you?” he said, much kinder and the flutters in my stomach take off.
“It’s ok. I’m good, but I’m call ing to see if… maybe… you could, I mean, if you want to, come to my aunt’s house today and go hiking with me? I’ve had enough calculus to last a lifetime,” I say, trying to sound uninterested .
Again, a brief silence followed. “Sure, that sounds great, actually. What’s your address?” he asks, sounding genuinely pleased.
“She lives at 113 Clingsburge Road,” I say. “I mean, we live,” I correct.
This time, the silence on the other side of the phone is even longer. I wait, but still no response. “Hello?” I ask, feeling foolish.
“Yeah, sorry. Is Rachel home?”
I shake my head and then realize he can’t see me through the phone. Rolling my e yes at my stupidity, I say “No. Y ou know her?”
He laughs, sounding light. “You do remember how small this town is, right?”
I laugh too, smiling at the sound of his. “I could never forget. You can come over whenever you want,” I say, sounding like a school girl again.
To my surprise, he agrees to be over in ten minutes. We hang up with a casual “see you soon!” and I am in panic mode. What was I thinking? I wasn’t, that’s the problem. Maybe I didn’t make this decision at all; I’ve been a big believer in fate of late, as would be acceptable given th e circumstances, but terror still shoots up my spine.
PANG! The actual fear hits me like thousands of icicle tips, pricking at my skin with their cold points. I clutch my stomach, warding off the fear with thoughts of David, Tristan’s eyes, and the Montana landscape. Before I know it, the feeling i s gone, having left a cool, unco mfortable sting behind. There i s a knock on the door, sending my heartbeat into frenzy.
I take a deep breath and p ull my hair around to the front of my neck to frame my face. Lifting my chin higher and pulling my shirt sleeves down, I open t he door. Tristan looks striking in a black button-down long-sleeve shirt hanging open over a white t-shirt that graces his torso while dark jeans and black boots cover his lower half. His smile is the most dazzling of all; brightening his blue ey es and making them shine. I feel my temperature rise and blink a few times, trying to get a grip on myself.
“Good afternoon,” he says, voice dripping with happi ness but still so sexy. I lick my lips without thinking.
Eyes never leaving his, I say, “You too. Want to hit the trails immediately or have a snack first?” I ask.
He purses his perfect lips, making mine tingle in an unfamiliar way. I bite my lower lip, forcing it to stop behaving so ridiculously. “Why don’t we go for a different type of hike… save ourselves the walk ,” he says , raising his eyebrows, voice suspiciously innocent.
I raise my left eyebrow, showing my confusion. Tristan smiles and laughs at my expression. “Come on, I can tell you need a little peace and quiet,” he says, cocky grin morphing into a sad little smile.
Still confused, I shrug, stepping out into the sunlight. I don’t care where we go or what we do, as long as Tristan is with
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