Page 41 of On the Way to You
“Nothing.”
I couldn’t stop smiling, though I didn’t know why. Maybe it felt good that he had seen me,reallyseen me, or that he’d written about me with such respect. Or maybe it was that he’d said his grandma would like me, and I knew that was a big deal for him. Either way, I couldn’t erase my goofy grin, and Emery just cocked a brow, shaking his head as he started up the engine.
“Okay, weirdo, you’re DJ. Less than two hours until Colorado Springs.”
And then we were back on the road, and I was back in my thoughts, wondering more and more with every mile just who Emery Reed was.
We stopped at the first diner we saw in Colorado Springs for a late lunch, asking our waitress what her top recommendations were for our visit. The first place she mentioned was a hike called Seven Falls, so when our bellies were full, we drove to the Broadmoor Hotel to buy our tickets and prep for the hike.
“Think you’re ready for these stairs, Little Penny?” Emery teased as I tightened my sneakers. We were waiting for the tram to pick us up from parking and take us to the falls, and I was already inhaling the fresh mountain air, taking in the scenery around us.
“Hey, I can do everything you can with this leg of mine,” I said, thumping it with my knuckles. “I am slightly worried about the cardio aspect, though. Not exactly getting the heart rate up much in yoga.”
He laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll carry you up if I have to.”
“Oh, yeah, because I’m sure the drinker issuperhealthy.”
“Whiskey doesn’t stop me from having abs, now does it?”
I blushed at that, eyes skating down to his abdomen even though it was currently covered by his beige knitted sweater. The tram pulled up, saving me from a response as we climbed aboard, Kalo in tow.
It didn’t take long before we were at the foot of the falls, being guided through what to expect during our climb. Emery bought a simple black backpack from the store at the bottom and packed a couple of waters for each of us, along with trail mix, and then we were on our way.
Kalo was hopping up the stairs as fast as she could at first, nearly choking herself with the leash as she tried to run faster, but by the time we’d climbed the first long set of stairs, she slowed to match our pace.
“It’s like a never-ending stair master,” I said, exasperated. I paused at the little lookout over the first waterfall, catching my breath and taking in the view. My leg was okay, my extra socks helping take some of the brunt of the hike, but I knew it would be sore the next day.
I was thankful it was chilly but nottoocold as we stood by the spraying water, little drops peppering my cheeks. We’d only climbed up part of the way and already I found myself breathless in wonder.
“It’s amazing, the way nature carved this place. These mountains, these waterfalls,” Emery said, pointing to the different grooves in the rock around us. His nose was pink from the cold, his eyes wide and bright. “We think we know the world, but we’re only seeing a tiny second of its journey.”
We stood there, Kalo with her head through the railing looking down while Emery and I looked up and around. And I’m not sure why it hit me in that moment, but I realized then that I wasn’t in Alabama anymore. I realized then that I was finally onmyjourney, and it may only have been a second for the Earth, but it was time frozen still for me.
“Strange,” I said, voice low, mixing with the rushing water. “It makes me feel small and free all at once.”
Emery nodded in agreement, pulling a water bottle from his bag and offering me a drink before we started for the stairs again.
We were silent as we climbed the rest of the two-hundred and twenty-four steps, stopping several times along the way to drink water and let Kalo rest. I attempted to take a photo on my phone a few times, though it never did the actual scenery justice, so I opted for keeping it tucked in my back pocket, instead. When we reached the top, both of us out of breath, Emery nodded toward the sign for Midnight Falls, and we took the less than half-mile hike down to see that part of the falls up close.
We were the only ones on the trail when we reached the end, save for an older couple studying their map. Kalo was antsy from being on her leash so I let her off for a second, laughing when she ran straight for the water and hopped around on the rocks, her tongue hanging out and flopping around with her.
“How long have you had her, anyway?” Emery asked as we watched her play.
I smiled, thinking back to the day she came into my life. “I adopted her as a puppy right around my sixteenth birthday. Hard to believe I’ve had her for almost five years now.”
Emery inched a little closer to me, his hands tucked in the front pockets of his jeans, elbow just barely brushing mine. His hair was a little damp from the falls, his skin still pink from the cold. “And her name? How did you come up with that?”
“Kalosis a Greek term for astounding beauty, inside and out. I read once that there isn’t an English word that can be used as a synonym, because of the level of beauty the word is said to describe. I liked that, a word that didn’t have an equivalent. I liked that only one culture took the time to give that kind of beauty a name.”
Emery frowned. “But her eyes are crossed.”
I laughed, smacking his arm.
“What? I mean, she’s kind of goofy looking, you have to admit.”
“She is,” I laughed the words. “But she’s also beautiful. And different. And mine.”
Just as I said the words, the older couple who had been looking at their map was posing for a selfie near the foot of the falls, and I watched in slow motion as Kalo darted toward them, tongue hanging out, paws skipping across the wet rocks.