I'd Love That

“You ready?” Liam asked, as he finally arrived.

I say finally, but it was really my fault that I’d been waiting here for half an hour. When he’d sent me the time and place that we were meeting today, I should have been more diligent in showing up on time.

Instead, I showed up thirty minutes early because I was too excited, and started to worry that I might get held up in traffic or whatnot.

“Ready.” I echoed, picking up my bag and taking my place, walking by his side.

The trail started off rather easily, the trees swaying on either end, sunlight covering the trail as the branches above lacked their leaves.

Through the wider than normal gaps in the trees, you could also see the valley below us as our trail slowly climbed the small mountain ahead.

Liam had initially sent me a trail that was for beginners who were new to hiking, but I’d specifically asked to do the one he was planning on doing today instead. After all, I wanted to get to know him better and spend time enjoying his hobbies, so making him take an easy trail for my sake didn’t sit quite right.

Also, I didn’t think a difficult trail would be any problem compared to those grueling pre-break training sessions.

Unfortunately, I seemed to be a little wrong there. After about half an hour, I found Liam’s long, consistent strides to be increasingly taxing to keep up with, especially due to my fatigued body after the intense training prior. I guess today was meant to be a rest day after all.

“Want to take our lunch break here?” Liam asked, pointing over at a nearby bench we were coming up on.

I nodded and sat down next to him, taking out the lunch I’d prepared for this trip while stretching out my sore legs.

“I’ll try to focus on my pace a bit more.” He said, his face a mix of concern and regret.

“I can tell you if we need to slow down as well.” I responded. I didn’t want to put the whole burden of maintaining a healthy pace for both of us on his shoulders. Realistically, I should have said something a bit earlier, since we still had another two hours or so ahead of us.

We stopped talking for a few moments to eat, before I asked him if he liked this trail as much as he’d hoped.

“Yeah, I think it’s good for winter. I like how you can see the valley when the leaves are gone.”

I nodded, a little proud that I’d noticed the same details as he had, even though it was my first time hiking.

“How about you?”

“I think I could get used to doing this.”

He smiled and looked out to the view in front of us.

“You can join me more often if you’d like, in that case.”

What little cold remained in my chest after the first part of this workout suddenly disappeared altogether.

“I’d love that.”

Our eyes locked for a second, and I noticed the most subtle of sparkles looking back at me, before glancing away, pretending I was looking at the view while my mind was racing.

I’d never thought of hikes as being romantic, but after today I might have to change that opinion.

After finishing our food and chatting about nothing important for a bit, we agreed to continue, and he offered me his hand to stand up.

It was a common occurrence while playing soccer, but I’d never taken any particular notice of it until this very moment.

I held his hand as I stood up, holding on for a few extra seconds, as long as I dared, before letting go.

The view of his back as he started walking gave no clues as to how he’d reacted, but I was certain that I was as red as I’d ever been.

The next hour or so was some of the most fun I’d had in a while. With the slower pace, I was able to fully take in my surroundings, enjoying the smell of the clean air and the feeling of the rough, uneven ground beneath my feet.

We’d occasionally come across other people who were making their way back down the trail, and they all gave us polite nods or warm words of encouragement. It was a big difference from the competitive nature of soccer, and a refreshing feeling of being supported by those who weren’t even on your team.

“Is everyone that hikes always nice like this?” I asked, after we passed by an old man who warned us of a fallen branch up ahead.

“Not always, but usually.” He responded.

“We all have different reasons for being here, but everyone that comes here generally enjoys it, and I guess those feelings are contagious.”

I could see what he meant as he said it. I felt amazing being out here, whatever the reason for those feelings might be.

A few minutes later, after passing the fallen branch, which Liam stopped to move off the trail, we reached the peak. There were a half dozen or so people there, some taking pictures and others sitting on benches.

I walked up towards the far end of the opening, taking in the view before me. A light fog had covered the valley below, making the misty haze of barren trees with the occasional bright evergreen a sight to behold.

I convinced Liam to join me for a photo, and asked one of the nearby hikers to take it for me.

I was glad to see, after getting my phone back, that the pure joy on my face seemed to be mirrored on Liam’s, even if he was a little more hesitant to show it.

We agreed to sit down for a bit, taking our time enjoying the view, and enjoying the company.