Page 13 of Rescuing His Kitten
“Perfect,” I say, finishing my sentence and keeping my eyes on Bellarose. “You look perfect.”
“Are you sure this is okay for ziplining?” She looks down at her T-shirt and shorts and then back at me.
“I think if you’re going to fly through the air while suspended on a metal wire, a cat T-shirt that says Who’s laughing meow? is the way to do it.”
“That’s what I thought,” she says and beams at me. “Plus I pinned the fuzzy ears to my hair so they don’t get lost.”
“You’ve thought of everything,” I say, feeling that warmth bloom across my chest.
“I’m gonna be sick,” the roommate mumbles.
We ignore her as I reach for Bellarose’s hand and lead her away from the cabin. Somewhere behind us, I hear a door slam, and Bellarose jumps slightly.
“Is everything okay with your roommate?”
“Who knows?” she says, waving her off. “I need to tell you something.”
“Tell me everything,” I offer instead. “I’m all ears.”
“So I might be a teensy, tiny bit afraid of heights.”
“Oh, that’s okay.” I stop walking and mentally shuffle through all the other options for today’s activities. “We could go try archery or maybe the candle-making class.”
“No, sorry, that’s not what I mean. I want to do the zipline. I just wanted you to know that I’m afraid to do it.” She keeps talking, blurting out all her thoughts on what is clearly an important subject. “It’s hard to explain, but I like to do the things that scare me to prove that I can do them. Even if I’m terrified. I’ve always been scared of heights, but this sounds so fun, and I don’t want to kick myself for missing out on an opportunity that could be amazing. Maybe the best day of my life. Although when I woke up this morning, I thought last night might have been the best time of my life. So all that to say, I might poop my pants, but I’m excited about it.”
The laughter that comes out of me is soft as I shake my head and pull her in for a hug. Without realizing what I’m doing, I kiss the top of her head. If she felt it, she didn’t seem unhappy about the touch because she hugs me back.
“Thank you for telling me. I think that whole explanation is why I like you so much.” Her eyes widen at my confession as I take her hand again and start walking toward the zipline course. “You’re a lot braver than you give yourself credit for.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Bellarose admits. “I feel like a pushover most of the time.” I look over at her as she shrugs a shoulder. “But when I woke up this morning and saw your text, I dunno. I think I was just tired of being pushed around.”
“Is your roommate pushing you around?” Bellarose hesitates, and I feel my back tense. “If she’s?—”
“No, it’s fine. I can handle Sheryl.” She waves me off, but there’s still something about her tone that bothers me. “Anyway, I’m happy we get to do this adventure together.”
“Me too,” I say, squeezing her hand. “But if we’re confessing things, I’ve got one for you.”
“You’re Batman, aren’t you?”
“He wishes,” I tell her, and she snickers. “I might be afraid of heights too.”
Bellarose stops and jerks on my hand. “Then why the heck are we doing this?”
“Because what if last night wasn’t the greatest day of our lives? What if today’s that day?”
The way she smiles at me makes my chest expand. It feels like my heart is growing so there’s more room to love her.
