Page 57 of Highland Stars
“Whew!” I breathe deeply and exhale. “That was terrifying, but exhilarating.” I laugh like a maniac.
My insane response draws a grin from Malcolm. “What’s going on in there?”
“I just imagined a real thrill seeker, like a rock climber, or a skydiver would think me callingthatexhilarating was insane.”
“Ach, they might. But your feelings are your feelings. Are you glad you did it?”
“Yes!”
We hike closer to the waterfall until the sound reminds me of having a song you love turned up too loud in the car. I close my eyes and listen to the incredible music of the rushing water. After a moment or two, I open my eyes to find Malcolmwatching me.
“Don’t want to actually see the waterfall?” he jokes.
“I just wanted to focus on the sound for a minute. It’s so powerful.”
He quirks a smile and takes my hand. “Let’s see how it feels to listen to it together.”
It takes me a moment to respond becauseMalcolm is holding my hand. He has touched me a lot today. I’ve not even begun to process the celebratory spin at the bridge. “Okay.”
He grins at me before he closes his eyes. I study him briefly, then let mine drift closed, and just like that, despite the handful of hikers milling around, we’re alone in the dark. The only things keeping us in reality are the sound, the occasional kiss of the water as the wind changes, and the feel of each other’s hands. The heightened awareness of his proximity almost overwhelms me, like the waters have shifted and overcome us. My mind starts spinning with wonder about what he’s feeling. Why did he take my hand? When he held my hand in the barn, I thought it was the excitement of the moment, but is Fiona right? Is he interested in me? That’s crazy, right? I mean, I like myself. So … maybe he does too.
I ask the first thing I can think of to bring myself out of my spiral. “Do you know you can see this waterfall in aHarry Pottermovie?”
I feel the warmth of Malcolm’s breath as he leans in. “Didyou say something?”
I exhale a ragged breath, thankful for the roar or the water. I angle my face toward Malcolm when I speak again. “Do you know you can see this waterfall in aHarry Pottermovie?”
“Actually, it’s in several.” I hear him take a deep breath. “Should we open our eyes?”
“Yep.” My eyes pop open and I do my insane laugh when I see how close he is.
He opens his eyes and he simply smiles and turns his attention back to the waterfall.
Oh, to be a confident, handsome man.
We are both more than ready for dinner when we make it to Cameron Square, and Ben Nevis Bar.
Malcolm pulls out my chair for me, and I smile my thanks.
“So, what gluten-free delights have brought us here?” Malcolm takes his seat, and gosh if this doesn’t feel like a date. I wish. Though, again, where could it lead?
“They have gluten-free fish and chips!”
“Oh, that’s dead brilliant.”
I laugh at his saying. “Yes, I suppose it is. I mean, you don’t know how rare it is to find anything fried that's gluten-free. Fries, or chips, to speak Scottish, are somewhat easy to find.But things like fried fish? Few and far between. I couldn’t pass it up.”
Malcolm beams like he couldn’t be happier for me if I told him I was winning a prestigious award. “Fish and chips all around!”
The couple at the table next to us looks our way at Malcolm’s cheer. I smile at them and turn my attention back to Malcolm just as a server approaches our table. We order our fish and chips, and our drinks, then Malcolm surprised me by ordering an appetizer. Spicy corn ribs. He claims they’ll be delicious, but are they corn? Are they ribs? I’ve handed my menu to the server or I’d check. I really need to fess up about my picky eating.
“So, you’re here now, obviously, but otherwise, have you done much traveling?” Malcolm asks, pulling me from the minor food stress.
“No, not really. New York, like I told you. Umm … my mom and I flew to Denver once. That’s in Colorado, in the Rocky Mountains. It was summer, and it was so nice because it was so much cooler than where we live. Otherwise, we’ve done road trips to the beach. Jekyll Island is my favorite. And to Florida, and up to DC once. That’s pretty much it.”
“I’ve never heard of Jekyll Island. What makes it your favorite?”
“It’s going to the beach, but so much more. There’s this onebeach there that has petrified driftwood all over it. It’s called Driftwood Beach.” I grin at the obvious name.
