36

November County hosted the annual "Novemberfest" the first Saturday in November. Vendors selling food, clothes, and knickknacks filled the parking lot of November Falls National Park leading to the falls the city was named after.

"Did you go to this last year?" I asked Tyler as I was slipping my boots on. I was wearing two pairs of socks, but I was afraid I was still going to be cold.

"No. I didn't have anyone to go with," he replied, handing me my coat as I stood. "What do we do?"

Oh, my sweet Tyler.

"We don't do anything. We go, walk around, and look at the falls. You know, the November Falls?"

"November Falls," he whispered as I put on my coat, and I could see when everything fell into place. "The town is named after the waterfalls?"

I nodded, wrapping my arms around his waist and looking up at him. "You didn't read the November Falls State University pamphlet for new students last year, did you? It talks all about the town's history."

He shook his head and kissed me on the nose. "I don't need to now. My girlfriend is a lifelong November Falls resident who can fill me in."

I immediately had two warring thoughts.

Am I really his girlfriend?

And:

I could fall in love with him.

Where did the second one come from? Pushing away from Tyler, I grabbed my lanyard, keys, and phone, shoving them into my coat pockets.

"We don't want to get stuck in traffic," I said in a rush, opening my door.

He took my hand before letting me leave. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he was frowning. "What's wrong, darling?"

"Nothing. You've just never called me that before." And, something else that I can't explain to you. "I don't want you to miss anything at the festival. Sierra and Tyeshia are going to meet us there." I tried pulling my hand away, but he didn't let it go.

"Are you upset? Do you not want to be my girlfriend? I thought we were…" he trailed off, loosening his grip on my hand.

"No, I'm not upset," I said gently and pulled him into a hug again. "I'm just glad you're going with us. And, I'm glad I'm your girlfriend."

***

I pulled into the parking space next to Sierra's car, but she was deep in conversation with Tyeshia and didn't see us pull up.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked Tyler as I turned off my truck.

He playfully shrugged. "I've already met your dad. I may as well meet your sister, too."

"She's going to love you."

He didn't say anything. Instead, he smiled at me and brushed my cheek with the back of his hand. We exited the truck, and Sierra finally noticed us.

She flew out of her car and wrapped me in a tight hug. "I missed you." More quietly, she added, "I'm glad your boyfriend could come, too."

She pulled away before I could respond and winked at me as Tyeshia pulled me into a hug, too. Tyler was awkwardly leaning against my truck. His eyes darted around nervously until Sierra introduced herself.

"Sorry, I'm a hugger!" She pulled him into a hug, and he awkwardly hugged her back, his eyes wide over her shoulder.

"You didn't warn him?" Tyeshia asked me, shrugging into her coat.

"I didn't think about it," I admitted.

The four of us headed toward the festival as the parking lot started to fill.

You could hear the November Falls long before you saw them. As we paid our admission fee and got our hands stamped, the rumble from the falls grew even louder.

We made our way through the vendors and all decided on burgers and soda for dinner. At the top of the canyon, we sat on a bench and watched the sun begin to set behind the falls.

"This view is incredible," Tyler whispered.

"I told you we couldn't be late," I said.

"He's not just talking about the waterfall," Sierra leaned over to whisper in my ear.

Her eyes were dancing as I pretended to glare at her. "Stop it."

I glanced past Sierra at Tyeshia, and she affectionately rolled her eyes. Thankfully, she came to my rescue. "Have you two signed up for next semester's classes yet?"

"Not yet," I replied. "That starts next week. I haven't even thought about what I want to take yet."

I looked at Tyler. "Have you?"He shook his head. "I don't think there's a chance of us having overlapping classes next semester."

"I'm sure you'll find other ways to spend time with each other." Sierra waggled her eyebrows at us.

"Sierra, knock it off," Tyeshia said, gently swatting her on the leg. "Leave them alone and watch the sunset."

The sky turned from bright blue to a lovely combination of yellows, oranges, and pinks.

As the sun landed on the waterfall, Tyler took his phone out of his pocket for a picture of the sunset and the falls.

"Let me get a picture of you two," Sierra said, gesturing for us to turn around. She took one of us, and I took one of her and Tyeshia.

Tyler took my hand in his and didn't let go as the four of us watched the sky fade to dark blue in silence.