Island Rush (51 page)

 He leaned back down, putting the vine with the fish strapped to the end back in the water.  This time, I saw the fish floated on top of the water.  I recognized the need for the rock just then.

He grabbed the vine laying on top of the water and took the rock, pulling both under the water.  He anchored the vine in the sand that was only a foot or so deep since it was right off the bank. 

After that, he stood back up and helped me up too.  I turned to him and smiled, shaking my head not knowing how to receive this.  I hugged him again and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  What he did was sweet, obviously.  But to know he woke up at dawn and caught not one but two fish for us tonight blew me away.  On top of that, he made another great invention to keep the fish fresh for later on!  Plus, he did it naked.  Yes, it was irrelevant, but it made me laugh.

“Guess what, Casey?”
             

“Um,” he pretended to think.  “We had sex last night?”

I chuckled. “Yes, but you should know how much I really appreciate all you have done for me.  Thank you,” I paused, and my genuine smile turned more into a smirk. “Also, yes that that did just make me more attracted to you.”

He smirked down at me, grasping my hand in his,  “I know.”

I elbowed him before he left my side and ducked under the cover of our shelter, grabbing the leather strap of the camera bag.  He came back out, stood before me, and took the camera out of the bag.  Casey handed me the camera, strapping the empty bag over his shoulder.

I looked up from where the camera rested in my hands and into his excited eyes. “You’re really interested in knowing about photography?”

He nodded.  “Yeah, I am. I remember what you showed me on top of the waterfall.  I never thought of photography like you explained it and I saw how happy it makes you.” 

I was so amazed, and it couldn’t be later than noon yet.

I smiled, shaking my head as I looked back down at the camera in my hands.  The small strap attached to the camera proved to be helpful.  I slug it over my neck, and the camera rested on my side.

“So, where to first?” I asked, wondering where it was he wanted to start.

“I follow the teacher and artist herself around.  Take me wherever you feel, wherever you think you could find a good picture.”

I turned away from him, looking over the clearing of water, the soft trees, the woods, the waterfall… All this as my canvas was overwhelming.  I wasn’t sure where to start, wanting to take as many pictures as I could.

“It’s too much.  There is so much I could use.”

“Then go where you feel you would enjoy the most out of taking pictures.  There is one sight you haven’t seen yet.  I only caught a glance of it a couple days ago.  It was hard to see, but it was when we went for that walk up to the top of the waterfall.  I saw it on our way up.” 

I smiled, excitement rising in me.  “So it’s by the waterfall?”

He took my hand, not saying anything other than giving me a knowing smirk.  One that said another surprise was coming.  I was more than anxious to find out what it was. 

Chapter 53

Under the sun, his hand was sweaty in mine as he guided me.  We walked along the deep grass on the bank of the lake, rounding it and heading towards the waterfall.  The weight of the camera seemed to get heavier and heavier around my neck; all I wanted to do was grab it and start snapping pictures!

“Would you calm down?” he chuckled.  “We’ll be there in a second and after that, you can take pictures of whatever you want.  Just let me show you this first.  Besides, I think you will like this.”

I smiled widely. “I’m just so excited!”

We approached the side of the waterfall before he stopped and turned back to me.  “We have to climb about halfway up,” he said louder than usual because of the crashing water close next to us.

I looked up and tried to figure where halfway was.  It wasn’t too high. It would be easy to do; no risk or stunt this time.  What I worried about though was the camera.  Large rocks with some covered moss made up the incline of the waterfall.  Vines with leaves shooting out crawled up the rocks too. Then, a couple feet to the left of that and where the lake started was the crashing water, so I felt a light mist move over me.

What if while climbing up, it swung around my neck too much and hit one of the rocks?  What if it got wet?  Looking back to Casey, I took the camera off, handing it to him.  At least in the camera bag, it would be safe.

He took it, understanding my worry over it and slipped it in the bag.  “Alright,” he said. “I’ll go first, and you come behind me.  If you feel like you will lose your balance, just grab my leg okay?”

I nodded and watched as he turned forward again, grasping the edge of a rock nearly his size. My face was always a couple inch away from the rock as I climbed up, pushing my weight into the rocks.  It was actually easy compared to what I originally thought it would be.  As Casey moved up, I followed, the rocks large enough to support us.

I saw Casey stop, and I climbed up next to him.  “Why did you stop climbing?” I asked loudly.

He smiled and pointed to the left of us. I turned my head and at first, all I noticed was the water falling.  Then, something else caught my vision.  Behind the falling water, there was a small cliff the size of a small trail or path.  Looking deeper under the waterfall, I was unable to see where that path stopped, and I realized that it was a long grassy path jutting out from the side of the cliff we were climbing up, only it was behind the water.

I turned back to Casey, realizing what this was. I smiled up at him as well.  He took my hand, and we carefully climbed together to our left more until we no longer needed to climb. We were so close to the water now, we could step down onto the level path.

Casey took my hand, stepping onto the grass and dirt of the shadowed small pathway.  A few feet in, it was clear how much darker it was under here instead of out in the sun. It was nice, I can tell you that with how much cooler it was.  Looking out and at the falling water a few feet away, shades of blue, orange, and yellow reached me. The sunlight hitting the crashing water gave us the light we needed in here.

My feet solid on the short grass and dirt floor, I leaned my back against the cool stone and watched the water as its streaks fell with bright colors.  It was so beautiful under here!  My eyes were so distracted, I didn’t notice when Casey took the camera out of the bag until he lifted my hand and pressed it against my palm.  Signaling for me to grab it, I did and looked up at him, amazed. 

“Well,” he nearly yelled over the water, pushing me to say something hopefully.  He wanted to know if I liked his surprise.

“I love this!”  I didn’t know what to say.  It was so beautiful, so nice under the waterfall. The colors, the darkness cooling the air around us, the water glowing… was beautiful. “I mean… how?”

“I spotted it before we walked up the long way to the top of the waterfall.  Figured maybe you could find a lot of different shots in here,” he said loudly as his answer.

I smiled and looked around at the shadows and falling lights on the water behind the waterfall.  I grabbed the camera as it hung around my neck and flicked it on, the lens coming out and camera active with a bright screen. I can immediately imagine how the photos would turn out.

I looked back at Casey as he stood a few feet away, watching with true curiosity.  I smiled. “Do you want to see?” I asked.

He nodded and approached where I was kneeling against the stone of the cliff, facing the water as it fell with a crash to the lake.  He knelt beside me, pressing his shoulder into mine, eyes finding the camera.

Looking through the screen, I pointed it up in a low-angle shot towards the water as it fell in strands of the light mixing in.  Angling the camera, I snapped the picture. I smiled at seeing the results with Casey next to me. 

“Wow,” he sighed, sounding truly surprised and intrigued at what the screen showed.  I was as well since I didn’t expect the picture to come out so well.  The setting I put it on made the water falling appear with a blur effect.  At the same time, it highlighted the color well too.

His eyes had scanned over the picture before he looked up to me in the small light. “How are you so creative?”

I blushed. “It’s rather easy to me.”

“You’re a natural at this.  Can you do another in here but at a different angle?” he asked, looking clearly interested.

I nodded automatically. Looking around though in this cave-type of setting, I tried to pick another good shot to take. The path was maybe five feet in width before the path dropped where the water dropped.  I was pressed with my back against the cliff, facing the few feet of the flat ground before the water was there.  Biting my lip with nervousness and excitement, I moved around until I was facing the stones and the cliff wall, sitting with my back to the waterfall. 

“Don’t freak out,” I said, glancing at him as I began to let myself fall back, cautiously.

When my back hit the ground, my head and shoulders were off the edge a little, my vision aimed up at the water falling towards me.  My feet were pressed against the stone, and I felt Casey grasp my leg, obviously a little nervous at what I was doing.

A foot away or so from where my head rested was the water in a fast motion falling.  Carefully pointing the lens straight up where my vision was pointed, I pushed the button and snapped the picture.

“How do you think of this?” he said, seeing the recently shot picture.

I turned the camera off, saving the battery. “I don’t know. I just look around, but I imagine I have a different point of view.  It’s different for everyone, though.  Everyone has their own way.” 

When Casey laid soft and sweet kisses along my cheek and then neck, making us chuckle, I couldn’t help my words. “You are too good to me.”

I felt the vibration against my skin of his small laughter. “No, I’m not,” he mumbled.

“Yes, you are.  You are too sweet to me, too nice, too beautiful.”  I brought his mouth back up to mine.

“No,” he said, his smile breaking into a laugh with mine.  His hands slid up and down my sides before resting his fingers on my hips. 

“Then what are you to me then, Mr. Rush?” I smirked.

“I’m me.  I’m naturally perfect around you, and it takes no effort.”  He smiled and pecked my lips lightly once more before he shifted me off him.  “And today, you’re naturally perfect at photography.”  He got to his feet after grabbing the camera.

“Just today I’m perfect at photography?” I asked, smirking.

“You know what I mean.”

I slid the camera off from where it hung around my neck, handing the camera to him.  Smiling, I said, “I want to see you try it.  All day, you watched me snap so many pictures. I want to see you do it now.”

              “Sure,” he answered.  He slid the camera into the bag, zipping it tightly closed.  Looking at him with confusion, he went on saying, “Just follow me. I just put it in there because I need to keep it safe like we did before.”

Despite my confusion, I nodded and accepted that. Taking my hand, he led me to the trunk of a massive tree. 

“We are climbing the tree?” I asked.

“Problem with that?  When it’s dark, we’ll go back and cook our dinner.”

“Nope, that’s fine with me,” I said smiling as I grabbed onto the low branches, making it easier to boost myself up.  I wasn’t sure what we were doing, but Casey seemed to. 

We leaned back against the main branch of the huge tree, our hands supporting us as we looked out over the creek and foliage below us.  As we gazed at the creamy clouds and the sun as it descended lower every minute. 

Both my hands were occupied, holding onto a branch on each of my side of, keeping me upright and my feet dangling as I leaned up against a branch. Casey, across me, was sitting on a branch as well.  Only he used one hand and his back where he leaned to stay balanced.  He held the camera with his free hand.  A smile caressing his features naturally, he leaned forward until he was closer to, not only me but the perfect shot. 

He rested the camera lens on the branch as he held on. The shot consisted of a pretty clear sky with branches and leaves as the border.  After snapping the photo, it came out perfectly I could tell by the look on his face when he checked it.  He then pointed the lens down, ready and anxious to take another picture.  Through the screen, I saw the braids of leaves falling down and skimming over the water.  The leaves looked to be dancing over the pink moving water.  After taking that picture, he showed me, and I smiled, impressed.  

“You enjoying this?” I asked.

He nodded as he lifted the camera up, pointing it towards me,  “I am.  Not as much as dancing but I really understand your appreciation for it now.  It’s amazing.  The word amazing seems like such a boring word when thinking about you or photography.  It’s better than amazing.”

I chuckled. “You’re the English teacher.  I’m sure you can find a better word that would qualify.”

He smiled as he looked up to my eyes.  His finger moving over the button, he spoke softly. “Smile then, gorgeous.  Warm, irresistible, magnificent, alluring, endearing, intelligent….”  When he paused and trailed off, he snapped the picture.

“Yeah?  Are you sure that’s photography you’re describing?” I asked.

He smiled brightly, his teeth shining through to me.  He shifted forward for a second, his hand reaching up around my ear and straightening the purple flower he slid there earlier.  “Maybe not photography.  Maybe I’m describing a very special girl.”  He snapped another picture of me as my hair blew over my skin, a slight breeze picking up.  He continued to snap a few, each different as my hair moved differently every time.  He also tilted the camera differently each time too.  Snapping away, he continued with the list of words.  “Winsome, stunning, vivid, considerate, unbelievable.”

“Unbelievable?” I asked, smiling.  “How is this special girl unbelievable?” I asked, watching him as he finally shut the camera off to save the battery.  He put the camera back into the bag around him considering it was close to dark.

“Yeah, unbelievable.  She is so far beyond any other girl I have ever known, beyond understanding how understanding she is.  She is so unreal.  She is different in how she thinks of others.  She is strong and wise and unexpected for a girl her age.”

I let his words sink in.  I knew for a while that he thought that way of me.  Yet, even now, he left me breathless.  It was hard to look into his eyes, always so much love there for me.  “Wow.  She sounds…”

“Perfect,” he finished for me.  Though my eyes burned to not meet his, his lips managed their way to carefully find me.  He pressed his hands into the branch I was leaning against, keeping him up as he was only leaning forward a little.  His hands propped up on either side of me, his lips ran over mine. 

I gripped the branches, keeping me still as well as I kissed him back.  He leaned back a moment later, his lips still close to mine as he locked his powerful gaze on mine. 

“She sounds great,” I said.

“Yeah, she is.” A playful glint shined in his eyes.  “I can’t wait until you meet her, Janice.  You will like her.  She’s everything—”

I cut him off with a light push and my laughter interrupting the cooling air around us.  So sweet... then he knew how to make me laugh a moment later. “That was mean, Casey Rush!” I yelled playfully at him and saw he was also chuckling.

“Well, I’m a very mean guy.  A very hungry dude too,” he said as he carefully got to his feet among the branches, balancing and holding the higher branches.  He gave me his hand and helped me carefully up.  When he saw that I was steady, he started descending the tree, one branch at a time.  We moved along and wound further down as the sun raced us.

Then, something unexpected happened and scared the shit out of me.  Nearing the ground, I felt my foot slip out from under me, and a small scream escaped me. I fell, losing my balance.  And god, it was scary.  That one second, that one small second was enough to nearly give me a heart attack.  I was going towards the ground, head first!  It happened so fast, it was hard to know what to do in that one small second.  I don’t even know if I did anything, but I felt it.