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As we approached the peak, my muscles ached.
I could feel the burn in my legs, but the sight that awaited us made everything worth it.
The town lay sprawled out below, nestled against the shimmering lake with fields stretching as far as I could see.
The clouds drifted lazily across the sky, casting gentle shadows over the rooftops.
“Wow,” I breathed, taking it all in.
The town looked so peaceful from up here, as if nothing could ever go wrong.
“Worth the climb?” Cole’s voice was close, and I felt his fingers tighten around mine.
I turned to him, smiling. “Absolutely.”
Without a word, he slipped his backpack off and unzipped it. Cole pulled out a picnic mat and some containers of food.
My eyes widened, surprised by the unexpected gesture.
“You packed us lunch?” I asked, touched by the thoughtfulness in it.
He shrugged, flashing me a brilliant grin.
“I thought it might be nice to take our time up here. No rush to go back,” Cole said.
We settled down on the mat, sharing sandwiches and fruit, with a few pastries he’d picked up from his favorite bakery in the city.
The conversation flowed easily, and I realized just how much I enjoyed these quiet, simple moments with him.
It was as if being up here in the open air let us both relax, let us just be ourselves.
“Thank you, Cole,” I said softly, meeting his eyes. “For all of this. For bringing me along this weekend. I… I didn’t think I’d be able to relax like this. I’m usually all about the store, always worried about something going wrong.”
He leaned back, crossing his legs as he studied me, his gaze soft.
“You deserve a break, Tori. Candy’s more than capable of handling things for a weekend. I wanted you to have some time just for you,” Cole told me.
I laughed, shaking my head.
“You’re probably right. It’s just, sometimes I get so used to being on my own, doing everything by myself, that I forget it’s okay to… I don’t know, let go a little,” I said.
Cole reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
The touch was gentle, almost reverent, and it sent a spark racing through me.
“You don’t have to do everything alone, you know,” he murmured, his voice low. “I’m here now.”
There was something in his gaze, something deep and unwavering that made my heart beat faster.
I looked away, feeling a warmth spread across my cheeks, but I didn’t pull away from him.
In fact, I found myself leaning into his touch, my hand finding its way to his. Our fingers intertwined.
For a moment, we sat there in comfortable silence, with nothing but the sound of the breeze rustling through the trees and the distant chirping of birds.
It felt like we were in our own little world, high above everything else.
“You know,” I said after a while, breaking the comfortable silence between us, “I was pretty angry with you when you finally admitted to hiring a bodyguard without telling me.”