Page 66

Me

This is like the 3rd time this week. Things sound serious between you two.

Taylor

And they say I have commitment issues. Please.

Heavy hands gently squeeze my shoulders and I let my head tilt to the side. I feel the knots I didn’t realize were there as Miles rubs into them with his fingers. “So, I know you wanted to try out a hike. If you’re up for that we should go soon, before it gets dark out. But if you’re tired and want to stay in,” his teeth nip at my ear, “we could do that too.” My eyes fall shut as I smile against the feeling of his lips now pressing against my neck. I know if I don’t get up, we’ll easily get distracted so I throw the blanket off me and jump off the couch like my ass is on fire. I momentarily get whiplash from how quickly I spin around to face him.

“We’re going,” I say, with my hands on my hips. “Get dressed.”

“I am dressed.” His eyebrows bunch together.

“You’re wearingthatto gohiking?” I ask, pointing at his fitted tan pants and black knitted sweater.

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

“It’s a little fancy for hiking.”

“It’s a sweater, Camila.”

I raise my eyebrows, giving him a bemused smile before padding down the hallway to change.

We’re lost.

Not surprising since Miles has his own personal driver and prior to two months ago, I walked to the same office every day and barely had the energy to go anywhere else. When I suggested we just go back and play cards, he actually growled.

My leg bounces restlessly as I impatiently wait for him to give up and turn around. To my surprise, he pulls over to the side of the tree-lined road.

“What are we doing?” My eyes widen in confusion.

“We’re hiking.”

“This isn’t a hiking trail.”

“We’ll make our own.” His muscles flex under his sweater as he moves to get out of the Jeep. I make a mental note that Miles is likely not the hiking type. No one who’s ever hiked a day in their life would choose to make their own path in the woods. I get out and follow him through some bushes. “I’m sure these woods are filled with trails, we just need to cut through some of these bushes and we’re bound to find something.”

“I’m not sure hiking works like that.”

As we continue pushing through the woods, I think I feel a raindrop. “It’s probably leftover water on the trees,” Miles says.

Whoshu whoshu.

“What was that?” My breathing accelerates but my bodyfreezes. Miles slowly inches his body in front of mine.

“Don’t. Move,” he whispers slowly.

My knuckles pale as I hold the back of his sweater in a death grip. I squeeze my eyes shut and hold so still I swear I can hear the pulsing of the trees around us. I’m fairly certain I don’t have fight or flight because I always go into freeze mode, which would hopefully be best case in the event that we’ve just encountered a wolf or a bear.

I physically feel Miles’s back muscles release under my hands as he hunches over, letting out a long sigh. “It was a rabbit.” He looks over his shoulder at me with a relieved smile.

It takes some bush-whacking but we’ve finally found some sort of a path. The buzzing of insects and chirping of birds offers soft background noise.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Always.”

“It’s about your dad.” If I wasn’t holding his hand I might have missed how his step faltered once before quickly recovering. His eyes remain forward, a slight dip in his brows is his only indication that he heard me. And when he doesn’t say anything I continue. “When he texted you last week, was that the first time he’s reached out to you?”