Page 15

The babbling creek we needed to cross was as beautiful as it was intimidating. Lined with foliage, the shore dotted with sandy pebbles, I should’ve been stunned by its beauty. But instead, all I could think about was how embarrassing it would be if I fell in front of all of these people.

Or god forbid—a water snake leapt at me as I crossed.

There was so much that could go wrong. The rocks that had been used to create the stepping stones that spanned the width of the creek were fairly close together—and large enough it should be easy to step on them—but that didn’t mean that I was going to successfully do it.

Especially not with an audience.

Lingering at the back of the group, I could feel my apprehension growing with every person that leapt across the water. Joe was at the front, stalking forward like a hound on a hunt. He didn’t stumble, blue eyes focused on the path.

By the time it was my turn to cross the creek I could hardly breathe, I was so stressed out.

Don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall.

Waiting till last had not been the smartest idea. I’d attracted far too much attention standing frozen, letting the gap between me and the person ahead of me grow wider and wider. Across the water, Joe’s adoring eyes found mine. He gave me a thumbs up. A gesture that I’m sure was supposed to be encouraging, but wasn’t.

It only made the pressure climb higher.

I was a grown-ass man well into his thirties—this should not be so hard for me.

I was so fucking frustrated with myself.

The creek was only ten feet wide. And at most was three to four feet deep. I could swim. And even if I couldn’t, standing on flat feet on the creek bed would easily keep my head and even my chest above water. And though logically I knew this, fear still wrung its fingers tight around my throat, compressing my airway.

What if I slipped?

What if I fell?

What if I didn’t go at all, and proved to everyone—including myself—that I was a coward? Fuck. Why had I decided to come on this goddamn hike? There was no choice I could make that would save me from potential mortification. And the only person I could really blame was myself. Sure, Mom had urged me to come, but I’d been the one who said yes. I knew she wouldn’t have actually forced me to.

At least…I hoped?

Anyway.

There was nowhere to go but forward. Steeling my nerves, I took a big breath.

“You’ve got this!” Roderick yelled, sincere but humiliating. I wasn’t a kid. I didn’t need encouragement .

Alex was already on the other side, having been one of the first to make the journey. He didn’t yell or give me a thumbs up like Joe had. And when I made the mistake of meeting his gaze, I could see real, genuine concern flickering in his pale blue eyes.

Maybe that’s what made me finally move.

The fact that—and I hated to admit this—I had the feeling Alex would make sure I was okay by the end. He’d pinky promised.

Besides, I could do things.

Even though my brain sabotaged me sometimes, I’d survived every one of its treacheries.

“One step at a time, George,” I murmured before taking a deep breath. “Just move forward.” The first rock was easy enough, barely half a foot from the shore, and not slippery in the slightest. The second was just as effortless. The third was less flat, but ultimately not horrible. Halfway across the creek, my spirits began to lift.

This isn’t so bad.

I can do this.

“Hell yeah! Go, Arthur, Go!” Roderick yelled, another misguided attempt to be supportive. Unfortunately for both of us, his words startled me, and I wobbled. Shit. Without thinking, I glanced up at the crowd, which turned out to be another mistake.

Ten feet away on the other bank, Alex was watching me like a hawk. A lock of dark hair had slipped onto his forehead, sticking to the sweat beaded there like he was stocky-Clark-Kent. Expression creased with concern, Alex took a hesitant step toward me. His gaze dropped to the water and his eyes went comically wide, eyebrows shooting up.

What was he?—

I followed where he was looking, terrified of what I might find. I’d definitely never seen Alex make that face before.

There. In the water .

Gliding smoothly near the surface with its head poking out about a foot from the rock I had been about to cross onto.

A snake.

Distantly, I recognized it as one of the ones my dad had taught me about when we’d gone camping when I was younger. He’d called it…a northern water snake? Or something like that. Said it was non-venomous, even though the bands on its body often tricked people into thinking otherwise.

They liked to sun themselves on rocks. We’d seen a few before—and I was sure that was where this one was headed. Right to the stone that I was headed toward.

I froze.

Even my lungs stopped working.

For a moment, I might have even blacked out.

“George!” Alex called, keeping his tone even for my sake. The smooth timber of his voice should’ve soothed me but instead, it just proved that I was not , in fact, seeing things. There really was a snake blocking my path. The exact creature I’d been terrified I’d encounter.

And there it was.

I had to go back.

There was no way in hell I was going forward.

But I couldn’t seem to get myself to move.

The tinkling of the creek did nothing to distract me from the danger ahead. I need to go back . I had to. I had to, I had to, IhadtoIhadto.

Realistically I knew that snakes weren’t evil. They were animals, just like cats or dogs or even birds. Not nefarious. Hell, some people even kept them as pets, willingly. I knew all of this—but that didn’t change the way my body reacted.

“What’s going on?” Joe called, giant himbo that he was. “Why isn’t he moving?” This was directed to Alex, or Roderick? I wasn’t sure who. Without waiting for a response, he shouted, “Why aren’t you moving, George?”

I couldn’t answer .

My words were as frozen as my body was.

I couldn’t stop watching the snake with naked fear.

Alex said something, but I didn’t catch it, my gaze caught on the wiggly creature that had just innocently made its way up onto the rock itself.

Slither, slither, slither.

“Jesus Christ,” I gasped.

“Georgie!” Alex’s voice was louder now, but I didn’t turn to look, entranced by my would-be assassin. He was pretty, I could admit that. All shiny, water-dotted scales. “You’re okay, baby. He can’t reach you. You just need to go back the way you came, okay? It’s going to be fine.”

Right. Alex was my snake-champion.

My woodland protector.

He’d get me out of this mess.

He’d promised .

Except—what had he said? That I needed to…I needed to holler? I couldn’t holler. I couldn’t—I?—

“It’s alright.” I must’ve breathed or something equally alarming because Alex sounded relieved. “Just breathe, sweet pea. In and out. Remember our promise?” I nodded jerkily. “I got you.”

He kept saying that.

It was like his catch phrase.

And I believed him every fucking time.

The rest of the crowd faded away, my brother included. There was only Alex’s disembodied voice, the snake, and me. The snake simply stayed where it was, innocently existing on the rock like it didn’t plan to attack at all.

I sucked in another breath, then forced it out in a whoosh.

“That’s so good,” Alex praised. His voice sounded closer, accompanied by sloshing. “You’re being so brave, Georgie.” The praise sent a shiver down my spine. Or maybe that was the terror? Hard to tell. “Breathe again for me, okay? In and out, nice and easy.” I breathed. “There’s a good boy. ”

Warmth flooded my limbs.

Another shiver.

This one was maybe—probably—because of Alex.

“Now, I’m gonna keep my eye on the snake, okay? I just want you to move back one stone, okay? Just one.”

“But what if he doesn’t like it?” I hardly recognized my own voice it was so brittle.

“He doesn’t mind,” Alex reassured. “He’s just taking a nap, don’t you worry.” I knew he couldn’t possibly know that. Wasn’t like he was a snake mind-reader, but the reassurance still helped. Even though it was illogical. I breathed again with Alex’s urging. “You’ve got this. Just one stone, okay? Just one. I believe in you, Georgie.”

I believe in you, Georgie.

I wasn’t sure anyone had ever said that to me aside from my parents. It certainly hit different now that I was an adult. It’d been a very long, very lonely decade since the last time someone had said something that sweet to me.

“Just one?” I echoed, shaking so hard I had no idea how I’d get my body to move.

“Just one,” Alex promised. “That’s all I’m asking.”

His voice was even closer now.

There was a loud splashing noise to my left that sounded an awful lot like a giant fish was disrupting the water. Alarmed, I twisted to look only to see Alex himself—the fish in question.

He was half-submersed, the water up to his belly. Only five or so feet away, and far enough from the snake not to disturb it. Why was he… why was he in the water? That splashing noise sounded again as he pushed forward.

“You’re okay, I’m almost there.” Alex’s voice was a comforting rumble. It made my cold, shaky hands clench. I was so stressed I couldn’t even feel the burns on my fingertips anymore.

Looking at Alex had been a mistake .

Because when I glanced back at the rock with the snake, he’d moved. A high-pitched horrible noise escaped me. “It moved. Oh my god, oh my god.”

“He’s just getting comfy for his nap,” Alex reassured. Why did this not rankle? He was babying me, just like I hated. But it felt so…so good in my current fragile state.

His eyes said, trust me.

They said, I’m going to keep you safe.

They said, I don’t lie.

Finding my courage, I forced myself to move.

I kicked a foot backward, searching with my toe for the stone I’d vacated. I couldn’t look away from the snake again—not when it’d moved the last time I had. When my foot met solid stone, I exhaled sharply, settled my weight, and moved the rest of my body. With more distance between me and the snake, it was easier to breathe.

“Do you want me to hold your hand?” Alex asked, now right beside me. I hadn’t even noticed he’d arrived. “To help keep you steady.”

I nodded jerkily, holding a hand out blindly for him. His skin was wet when it found mine, and yet despite that, his hand was as hot as ever.

“You did so good, sweet pea,” Alex coaxed. “We just need to do one more, okay? Just one. I’ll be with you the whole time.” I wished the rocks were big enough for him to climb up here with me, but I knew they weren’t. His hand was nice though. Firm and steady. I held it so tight I was fairly certain he’d bruise.

“Just one more,” I repeated, cottoning on to his trick, but not calling him for it because it was working .

“Easy peasy,” Alex agreed.

I whined, a sharp, brittle sound, because nothing about this was easy. I could feel the crowd looking at us, and I kind of wanted to die. This was worse than the airport. Worse than Neil out in the open. Worse than the matchmaking—and the scrutiny my fight at the barbecue with Alex had incited.

“Don’t you worry about them,” Alex said, as though he could read my mind. “You just pay attention to me, okay?” It wasn’t a suggestion, it was a command. I nodded jerkily. “Good boy,” Alex said for the second time that afternoon. “The only person you need to pay attention to is me. I’m going to take such good care of you.”

“O-okay.” More warmth settled over me, helping to ease some of the frigidity in my limbs as Alex directed me onto the next step. It was hard to do so backward, but I wasn’t ready to look away from the snake yet.

“One more,” Alex urged, predictable as always. “Squeeze my hand. That’s right. There you go. Lift that pretty foot up—yep. Perfect. Damn, look at those sexy legs go,” he was teasing, and it worked.

A startled laugh escaped me.

“Well, that was gorgeous. You have such a pretty laugh, you know that, right, Blondie? The prettiest. Like an angel or some shit. Okay, there we go. Now settle your weight. Damn, you’re so good at following orders.”

“Shut up.” I didn’t want him to shut up. I didn’t want him to stop. Everything was so much easier and better when he was talking to me.

“One more,” Alex promised, ignoring my reprimand. “Where’s that cute foot—ah! Hell yeah. Okay. Back we go. Back it up—” I glanced down, and he waggled his eyebrows at me. I laughed again. “Last one.” Alex urged as I settled. “Then we’re home free.”

He was soaked, water up to his belly. His white t-shirt was totally transparent. His eyes were the same crystalline blue as the creek below. Alex’s reflection rippled, dotted sunlight painting him like a god of mercy.

I lifted my leg up, stepping back just as I had the previous times. I strangled his hand tight, tight, tight with my own. And then—because even with Alex’s help, I was apparently incapable of escaping unscathed—my equilibrium shifted. Distantly, I recognized that I’d missed the step but…it didn’t hit me what that meant till cool wind whipped my cheeks and my body smacked the water with a distinct splash.

Snakes .

I should’ve been thinking about how cold the water was, or the fact that I was drenched—or all the diseases I could get from getting my wound wet with unfiltered water—but instead, the only thing I could think about was snakes .

As I scrambled to figure out which way was up, all I could do was panic.

I hated myself a little then, but…that feeling wasn’t new.

Before I could accidentally drown myself in the shallows, strong familiar fingers wrapped around my wrists, dragging me up, up, up. It wasn’t far, but it felt like miles and miles of endless water.

When my head popped free, my eardrums were clogged. I spluttered, and my blurry gaze met the glacial blue of Alex’s dark-rimmed eyes. He looked tired—something I hadn’t noticed until now—like he’d had as rough of a night as I had.

“I’ve got you,” he promised like he had last night. “Up you get.”

Part of me wanted him to carry me away from all of this. Rescue me like a damsel in distress so I didn’t have to think about how humiliated I was about to be—or the fact that the snake was still slithering away behind us, possibly coming closer.

But the other part of me recognized how helpless I already felt. Weak in the face of my own short-comings. All I had left was my pride, and even that was as flimsy as a rubber-necked dog toy.

Alex slung my arm around his broad shoulder and bodily dragged me out of the water and up the steep bank. The silt was slippery beneath my feet, covered in algae and muck. I tried not to think about things like leptospirosis or giardiasis—both waterborne diseases—as Alex murmured reassurances in my ear until our feet hit solid dirt.

Water dribbled cold down the back of my legs as my shorts clung to my thighs. I could breathe some better now. Maybe because we were away from the snake? Or maybe because Alex was a solid, protective wall of heat against my body.

“You guys okay?” Roderick hollered, but I ignored him, my face red, my hands shaking. “George? You good?” He sounded stressed, which was cute— but unnecessary. Mostly.

Embarrassed, embarrassed, embarrassed.

I’d looked like an idiot, pinwheeling my arms like that, nearly drowning in the shallows. Quaking, I didn’t reply, too cold to do anything but let my teeth chatter.

Alex would do the talking if I stayed quiet. Again, it was strange that I trusted him so much, and so quickly. It didn’t make sense. But I couldn’t seem to stop, even after acknowledging how strange my reaction to him was. As much as he pushed me, I just…couldn’t believe that he would hurt me.

Besides, if I opened my mouth, I’d start swearing. Or crying. Both?

“We’re fine!” Alex called. “We’re gonna head back. Get some dry clothes. Maybe find some lunch before you fuckers return and eat it all.” He sounded way too cheerful for a guy who had just been dunked in ice water. He gave Joe and the rest of the party a jaunty wave. “See you later!”

I knew he was doing this for my sake. And as the crowd laughed at his joke and Roderick flipped him the bird, no one looked at me. Alex had officially stolen their attention. To save me. Again.

“George—” Joe growled in question. I looked up at him, touched when I realized he was concerned. “Should I come?” He glanced toward Alex, a silent question. I still wasn’t sure how much of the matchmaking he’d been involved in—maybe not as much as Mom, if he was offering to accompany us.

“You keep going. I’m fine.” I was surprised the words came out loud enough he’d be able to hear over the babbling creek. He nodded, a knowing glint in his eyes.

I was not going back with Alex because I wanted to be alone with him, dammit.

And then Alex was leading me away, our soaked bodies clinging together as we headed back down the path the way we’d come. He was sturdy at my side, supporting me even though I didn’t need it. We left a trail of water droplets in the dirt—like fucked up Hansel and Gretel .