29. Sarah

29

SARAH

"Did you build this?" I gawked at the rudimentary bridge.

Bri shrugged. "State parks don't get a lot of funding. I offered to build a new one a few years back. It's probably due for replacement again, honestly."

Nudging her, I pushed ahead and started to examine the bridge. The railing was made of lightly shaved down logs, soft and round in their edges. I ran my hand along the rough wood, not flinching away at the scratchy finish left from years of wear.

I stepped onto the bridge, climbing the steep steps and onto the deck of the actual structure. Looking at my feet, I knelt down and rubbed my fingers along the thick planks.

Bri's feet crunched under the brush behind me, climbing up next to me. "Like it?"

"What is this? Where did all this writing come from?" I let my hands trace the etched words, which were mostly names with a few dates.

Smirking, Bri knelt down next to me. "I got the wood from an old dock on the water that was being ripped up. I didn't bother refinishing it other than removing the moss and barnacles. Pretty sure it's a bunch of sailors' handwriting. They'd etch their names into the docks they visited."

I shook my head, blown away by the creativity. "That's amazing."

Walking ahead of me and across the bridge, Bri shrugged. "I told you I needed some inspiration."

I rolled my eyes as I stood up and crossed the bridge. Halfway, I peeked down the stream and watched the water cascade down the path. If I was right, it would lead to the waterfall off the main trail.

A memory flashed in my mind of Bri and I swimming there as teenagers. We weren't allowed to but we did anyway. The water was frigid but the air was almost boiling so we were happy to take the relief.

Bri's fingers slipped back into mine, pulling me back to the present. We kept walking, descending the bridge on the opposite side and trudging through the woods as we walked a few yards from the creek. It disappeared from view for just a moment before reappearing, this time the water was surrounded by smooth, white boulders.

The surface of the rocks had been eroded by decades of running stream. The trail diverted to the rocks, letting hikers walk along the water and rocks instead.

"Wow." I shook my head as I stared at the rushing water. Peeking into the stream, I found the water glowing amber from the sediment.

Bri smirked. "Right?"

We followed the stream until the trail forced us back into the woods. But before we disappeared into the treeline, I stood still and closed my eyes. The sound of the flowing water stilled my mind as I took in a breath of fresh air.

New Winford's air was shockingly clean. But there were still cars and businesses and farms. There was nothing quite like escaping into the untouched mountains and taking in the breeze off of the hidden streams.

Once my lungs felt full of cool air, I nodded and headed back onto the trail. Bri smiled as she watched me taking it all in.

As we walked, now moving uphill, I peeked at Bri. "So, if you've already built the table, what is this trip for?"

Blushing, Bri tried to find cover. "Well I hadn't settled on a finish yet."

I rolled my eyes. "I find that hard to believe."

"Would it be so bad if I just wanted to get you alone?" Bri smirked at me, her eyes burning for me.

"No," I shook my head as I swallowed hard, "it wouldn't be."

We reached the top of a steep hill and the forest began to part into an open field with low shrubs. My eyes drew down to them, where small blue dots lined the bushes. "What is this?"

Reaching into her bag, Bri pulled out an empty tupperware. "Those are wild blueberries, open for picking. And this is their season."

"Really?" My eyes light up. "I love picking fruit myself."

Bri giggled. "I know. We used to run around your parents' property and pick the wild mulberries. And the apples from the tree that would never ripen."

I felt my throat tighten as the memory rushed back to me. Flashes of the two us running through the uncut fields and hunting for fruit while we giggled played in my mind. I could hardly believe she remembered all of that.

I shook my head, letting some of that fresh air and a joke out of my lungs. "Did you build this path just for me?"

"I wish I had." Bri clenched her jaw as she passed me a tupperware to collect my berries. Her gaze was intense, sending a jolt of excitement through my body that was hard to ignore. If I wasn't so worried about getting caught, I would've pinned her against a tree and touched her right there.

Bri reached into the bush and plucked a ripe blueberry off the stem, popping it into her mouth. "Oh my god, that's so good." Before I could reply, she was already reaching down and grabbing another. But this time, she brought it to my lips and waited for them to part.

I opened my mouth, letting her finger put the berry on my tongue. But before she could pull away, I wrapped my lips around her finger and pulled it deeper into my mouth.

"Fuck." Bri moaned as she felt my plump lips around her.

Grabbing her wrist, I pulled the finger out of my mouth and started to chew on the berry. Bri swallowed hard enough for me to see.

I laughed as I tasted the berry, trying to ignore the pulsing in my folds. The berry was sweet, perfectly ripe. "Wow."

Bri nodded, trying to steady herself. "Right?" But her eyes watched my lips, wanting more of me.

While she watched, I started pulling berries off the bushes and popping them into the plastic container. Careful not to over harvest, we made sure to leave plenty of fruit for the next hikers. But given how full the bushes were already, I assumed no one else would bother coming here to take them.

Once our tupperware was almost full, Bri tucked it into her bag and kept us moving along the trail. Her broad shoulders strained under the weight of her backpack. A light glisten of sweat covered her exposed skin, the muscles of her arms bulging as she hiked.

We trudged back into the woods, leaving the dozens of berry bushes behind.

"This is the worst part, the path narrows on a cliff. Just stay close to me." Bri looked over her shoulder at me.

I nodded. "Easy enough." All my body wanted was to be glued to her.

Sure enough, the trail narrowed, forcing me behind Bri's strong body. A large cliff towered over us on the left as a steep drop fell off to our right. I peeked over the edge. My stomach dropped at the sight.

"Jesus."

Bri laughed as she kept us chugging along. "It's no joke. But the view is worth it."

My eyebrows lifted in surprise. There was a view too? It was like this trail was custom built to hit everything I wanted on a hike.

We stayed tucked to the wall for a few minutes before the path leveled out and another steep cliff took the place of the harsh drop, sandwiching us between two towering rocks.

A cool breeze ran through the cavern. The sweat that had started to cake my skin started to dry as the sun was blocked out.

Bri looked over her shoulder to make sure I was okay. But when she saw my face, a smile took over hers. "You're gorgeous, do you know that?"

"Oh my god, you're ridiculous. I'm a mess." I looked away from her, trying to get my composure back as she looked at me.

"So you don't know?" Bri shook her head.

Just from the look in her eyes, I knew she was about to make it her life's mission to show me how she saw me. And if I knew anything about Bri, it's that she would die trying.

The path widened enough for us to walk side by side as the cliffs hovering above us slowly dropped back to our level. Once they did, the ground turned to the same weathered boulders that lined the stream. The trees grew sparse as they started having to grow between the rocks.

I stopped in my tracks as the canopy parted enough for the view to come into sight. "Wow." It came out as a whisper, hardly loud enough for Bri to hear.

But she nodded and wrapped her arm around my shoulders. "Right?"

Stepping forward, the panoramic view of the valley unfolded before me. It wrapped around the mountain, ending where the mountain towered over us. The flat rocks created a perfect ledge just long enough to walk out onto and take a seat.

I walked toward the edge, keeping a few feet between me and the lip as my stomach dropped into my ass. "That's a big drop."

Bri nodded, holding onto my shorts from behind. "No kidding."

There was nothing in the sprawling valley. It looked like not even a single house was down there for as far as my eyes could see.

Resting her chin on my shoulder, Bri lowered her voice to a rumble. "Why don't you sit on one of those rocks back there while I set up lunch?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Lunch?"

"Of course, lunch." Bri giggled and guided me back toward the boulders a few yards from the cliff face.

Once I was settled, Bri set down her backpack and methodically set up a little picnic sight. She laid out an outdoor blanket, thick with padding for rough surfaces, and laid out dozens of containers of food on it.

Opening the wicker basket, she pulled out some plates and cups along with a bottle of prosecco.

By the time she was done setting the whole thing up, her backpack was an empty sack.

"Did you bring anything that wasn't for this picnic?" I teased, resting my chin on my palm.

Bri shook her head, a tired, goofy grin taking over her face. "Nope. I wanted you to have everything you wanted."

Crossing the few feet between us, Bri stretched out her hand and helped me off the rock. She guided me to the blanket and knelt down on the blanket.

I followed suit, taking my place next to her. The endless New York mountains and valets stretched out in front of us. Before me, an insane array of food waited. Glass tupperware was full of fresh fruit. From the freezer bag, Bri had packed an entire charcuterie board and laid it out perfectly.

I shook my head. "I don't know what I did to deserve all of this."

With a shrug, Bri licked her lips. "You were you."