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“Nah,” I replied. “I think you’re safe.”

We stayed at Peggy’s the whole morning talking. It was fun and easy in a way I couldn’t have dreamed up. This was the Madison I’d missed the last two years, and now that I had her back I couldn’t stand the thought of letting her go again. I’d been stupid enough to allow it to happen once; I refused to have it happen again. I just wasn’t sure if she felt the same way.

When we finally decided to leave Peggy’s, I didn’t take Madi home. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her yet. Not when we were finally starting to get along again.

When I drove past the turnoff to our street, she gave me a questioning look.

“I have another pit stop for us,” I said.

“Where?” she asked. “If it involves more food, you can count me out. I’m still full from breakfast.”

“It’s not food,” I replied. “But that’s the only hint you’re getting.”

Her face grew more confused as I drove beyond the edge of the suburbs and entered the forest that bordered our town. It was a sunny day, and beneath the trees dappled light played across the dash of my truck. I always felt like I could breathe more easily when I was in nature, and a part of me was hoping that Madi would feel the same.

I pulled over by the start of one of the walking trails, and Madi’s confusion turned to horror. “We better not be hiking, Kingston. I’m wearing wedges!” she exclaimed as I opened her door for her.

I chuckled. “Nah, we’re not going far. There’s just a place I want to show you.”

“You promise?” she asked.

“Yes, I promise,” I replied. “Now, get those cute wedges down here so we can get going.”

“Alright, alright,” she said as she eased herself down from my truck. Even with wedges on Madi was short, and she barely came up to my chin in height. I bet she’d fit perfectly under my arm, though I wasn’t game enough to try.

“This way,” I said, leading her down the dirt track and away from the road. The path was narrow and edged by low-lying foliage on either side. It was mostly flat though and not too difficult to walk. Even so, I kept glancing back to Madi to check she was okay. Instead of focusing on where she was walking, she was looking around at the beauty of the forest that surrounded her, tilting her head to stare up at the enormous trees that towered over us.

We didn’t walk far down the track before I steered us off the path and into the trees. We had to climb over a large fallen log, and I held out my hand to help Madi over it. She hesitated though.

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” she asked, peering up at me.

“Wow, you have like zero faith in me, Matthews.”

“Not zero,” she replied. “Like 12% … on a good day.”

“And on a bad day?”

“You don’t want to know,” she replied, a small smile curving her lips.

“You’re probably right,” I agreed. “Now come on, up and over with you.”

She shook her head at me, but took hold of my hand and allowed me to help her over the log. As she stepped onto the other side, she almost stumbled on the uneven path and gripped my hand tighter. Madi definitely wasn’t wearing the right shoes for our little trek, and she surprised me by keeping her hand firmly intertwined with mine as we continued through the thick undergrowth. I half expected her to pull away from me, but she kept hold of me while her eyes focused down on every step she took. I knew she was only holding my hand for support, but I wasn’t complaining. I loved the way her hand fit in mine.

My pace grew a little quicker when I saw light through the trees in the distance. When we reached the edge of the forest, I led Madi out onto a rocky ledge. My heart was racing with the same excitement and awe I always felt as I looked out at the view. Beyond the ridge we stood on, a thick carpet of greenery stretched out below us as far as the eye could see. In the distance, the leafy scene met a bright and endless blue sky. We were up so high it was like being on a plane, and it felt as though the horizon went on forever.

“Whoa,” Madi murmured. She let go of my hand and moved closer to the edge of the rock to take in the view before us. She was silent for several minutes, but I didn’t feel the need to fill the time with talk. Sometimes, silence was the best way to appreciate such a beautiful view.

I walked forward and sat at the edge of the rock, dangling my feet over the edge. Any tightness in my chest always loosened when I was here, and I hoped that Madi was experiencing the same sensation.

“This place is gorgeous,” Madi finally said, lowering herself to sit beside me.

“Yeah,” I agreed, my gaze still fixed on the horizon. “I always come here when I need to get away from things. It’s my thinking rock.” I hazarded a glance at Madi and saw she was nodding, as though what I’d just said had made total sense. I let out a small breath. I had half worried she’d think I was a crazy person for having a thinking rock.

“What do you think about?” she asked.

“Anything, everything,” I replied. “Sometimes nothing at all.”

“And what about now?”