Page 38

He turned up, taking us down a pathway. I could hear water moving as we walked past the waterfall. I took it in and smiled. We continued to follow the path for a while and headed deeper into the trees. “Where are we even going?”

“There is a meadow back here,” he said with a chuckle. “And oftentimes, people forget about it. No one will be around.”

We broke through the trees to a huge open meadow. The flowers and grass were in full bloom and quiet, minus a few crickets chirping in the distance. It was stunning, and my mouth hung open.

“But that’s not the best part.”

Henrik pointed to a small area that was already set up. There was a blanket with a flower bouquet next to it. As we got closer, Henrik pointed up, and I took in the stars. It was a full moon and the stars twinkled in the darkness. Everything together was just breathtaking.

“You planned all this?” I asked, surprised.

He nodded. “I did. I thought a night staring at the stars would be perfect.”

I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. He handed me the flowers, smiling as he sat down. “It is beautiful out here.”

“Why don’t people know about it?” I felt that if people knew about it, more people would be here. Maybe that’s why no one tells others. It would always be packed with people.

“I think people forget about this part because of the waterfall.”

I looked around, taking in the serenity. It was peaceful, and I felt my shoulders drop. Suddenly, Ashley was in the past.

“I feel I should apologize for what I said at the lab.”

I looked at him, confused. “What for?”

Henrik gave me a sad smile. “I shouldn’t have pushed you. It wasn’t appropriate of me.”

I shook my head. “You don’t need to apologize, Henrik. If I was that uncomfortable, I would have stopped you.”

“So, you were uncomfortable?”

I knitted my fingers together. “It was more not knowing…I’ve never really dated much, let alone got along with someone to the point where we got to that point.”

Henrik’s eyebrows went up. “Really?”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Why does that surprise you?”

“Because you're amazing, Katie. Any guy would be stupid not to realize that.”

I couldn’t help but smile. Every time he complimented me, I felt like I was flying. “Since we are on the topic, how many girlfriends have you had?”

Henrik leaned back, resting on his arms as he looked up at the sky. “Do you want the honest answer or the nice answer?”

“Both.”

He smirked. “I would tell a girl she’s the first one that’s made me feel unable to control myself, but the honest answer is about ten.”

I was shocked by his number. “Ten? You’ve been with ten women?”

He nodded. “They were all serious relationships. I’m not like the other guys who jumped around.”

“When did you start dating?”

“When I was sixteen.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m sorry to tell you, but ten isn’t a very high number, Henrik.”

He looked at me. “You don’t think so?”