Unfaded (10 page)

             
“I know where we are,” I said with a smile.

             
“I figured you would. The least you can do is pretend to be surprised when we get there. A little oohing and ahhing wouldn’t hurt.”

             
“Does that surprise end with us being stuck in the middle of nowhere?” I asked as I reached into my purse. “Because I’m not fully sure my phone will be covered here.” Pulling my mobile out I checked the service and saw that there were no bars to indicate that I'd be making or receiving calls anytime soon.

             
“We won’t get stuck,” he said. “The plows been through here.”

             
“I see that,” I said. “Doesn’t mean we still can’t get stuck.”

             
“We won’t. Besides, didn’t you say you had a sense of adventure? Don’t chicken out on me now.”

             
Great. I’d heard that one before, hundreds of times in Dad’s shop from people who try to take their off-road vehicles into the most dangerous of places. My Dad would have been having kittens if he knew what I was about to do. At the same time he probably would have been pleased by my concern. Whereas most girls would be thrilled that their guys were taking them someplace mysterious, I was more concerned about what kind of tires were on his car and whether or not there was a shovel in the trunk.

             
We drove for a while and eventually a sign emerged from behind a pile of rocks.

Ehnita Falls

              “How on earth did you know about this?” I eyed him suspiciously. “You said you’ve never been to Addison and I can’t imagine anyone’s told you about this. It’s not a big party site or anything. It’s not even on the tourist maps.”

             
“I googled it,” he said. “I wanted to see a layout of the land so I did a search for local maps. Found a site about the history of Addison. It used to be a campground back in the seventies but it closed down. Now it’s just a forgotten bit of beauty. There’s a lake too that should be frozen over. Hence why I wanted you to dress warm.”

             
“It is,” I said. “All the lakes freeze here. But I don’t think people come out here much in the winter. The loggers use the road but that’s about it. There are better lakes with more access. Public bathrooms and fire pits.”

             
“It’ll be our own paradise.”

             
The road continued on but we turned left into a smaller road that hadn’t been ploughed. There was a fresh set of tire tracks in the snow. “Someone’s been here,” I said.

             
“That’s funny,” he said. The muscles in his jaw line tensed.

             
“I guess your paradise isn’t just for us,” I said casually. I didn’t like the way his fingers gripped the steering wheel.

             
But the parking lot was empty when we drove in. The set of tire tracks had parked and then pulled back out. Whoever had been here wasn’t here now.

             
“Probably just ice fishermen,” I said. He was still tense and I had to admit it was rubbing off on me. For the first time I began to realise that no one knew I was in the middle of nowhere with someone I’d known less than a week. I hadn’t dared tell Claire or Amber anything and I didn’t leave a note for Dad and Marley. But at the same time, I wasn’t worried about Kian, there was something about him that I knew wasn’t dangerous. I’d bet my life on it. I suppose it was naive, this sort of certainty, but he filled me with security. However, the thought that there could be some sort of threat was apparent, especially the way he was biting his lower lip.

             
Kian scanned the area for a few moments before he finally relaxed his grip on the wheel and turned to me with a smile. “You’re probably right,” he said. “I just wasn’t expecting this. I guess I’m acting foolish. I liked the idea of bringing you somewhere fresh. Somewhere no one else knew about. I guess I’m disappointed that I failed.”

             
“It’s still fresh,” I said. “Honest! It’s not that popular of a spot. They don’t even come here in the summer to party. It’s hard to find someplace untouched in a small town. Downright impossible if you ask me. Besides, I like it. That's all that matters.”

             
Turning the car off, he turned to me. “There’s a blanket in the trunk. I mean, uh, to keep warm. I brought a picnic lunch. I thought it would be a good idea to have lunch and then take a hike. Are you hungry? Did you already eat?”

             
“I can eat,” I said.

             
We got out of the car and he opened the trunk. Inside were a bunch of shopping bags filled with food. He even had a thermos full of soup. I was impressed. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been on a winter picnic, probably back when I was a kid and Granny was still fully functional. She used to love going out on winter adventures.

             
Closer to the lake we found an old abandoned picnic table that looked like it would probably support our weight so I laid the blanket out over top of it and Kian began pulling food out of the bags. It was quite the spread.

“I didn’t know what you liked so I got a bit of everything.”
He had peanut butter, bread, a thermos of soup, crackers, cheese, apples, oranges, and soft drinks. There were paper plates left over from Christmas with green sprigs of mistletoe and red berries. I opened up the loaf of bread and pulled out a few slices. Next I grabbed the peanut butter.

             
“Is there a knife?” I asked.

             
“Uh.”

             
I laughed. The look on his face was priceless as he realised he’d forgotten the cutlery. “It’s ok, we can just break off pieces of the bread and dip it in the peanut butter.” I gave him a shy smile. “We’re going to have to share the soup.”

             
“It’s all for you,” he said. “I don’t need any.”

             
“Don’t be silly, we can share.”

             
I pulled off my gloves and put a slice of bread on my plate, breaking it up into smaller pieces. It was a truly beautiful day. The sun was shining high in the sky, warming the air around us. My breath was barely steaming when I exhaled. It was the perfect day for an outdoor lunch.

             
“We used to do this when I was a kid,” I said to him. “Granny used to take me skating on Barrier Lake. We’d haul a bunch of food down and spend the day. There used to be a barbecue pit and we’d roast hotdogs. I really miss doing that.”

             
He opened a can of pop and passed it towards me. “Do you still do that?”

             
“No. Granny has Alzheimer’s. She doesn’t go outside much anymore. Besides, I haven’t skated in years.”

             
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. “About your grandmother. Are you close?”

             
“Yeah, she lives with us. I take care of her. She thinks I’m my mother half the time but I don’t mind. It hurts Dad though. He never directly comes out and says it but I can tell.”

             
“Oh?”

             
“Mom died when I was really little,” I said. “A car accident. It’s kinda crappy considering Dad deals with accidents all the time. That’s why he gets so angry when people do stupid things. I’m sure he lectured you and Micah about driving with bad tires in a snowstorm.”

             
Kian smiled. “Only for about fifteen minutes. I think he let us off easy. But I’m sorry to hear about your mother.”

             
“It’s ok,” I said. “I don’t think about her much. I never really knew her. I was too young. Dad’s got Marley now and he’s happy. She treats us well.”

             
I took a piece of bread and tried dipping it into the peanut butter. It was easier said than done. Mostly I left crumbs behind in the jar but I managed to get a small bite. Kian watched me but didn’t eat anything himself. He didn’t seem interested in the food except to push it in my direction. Picking up the thermos, he passed it over. It was lentil soup and I took a sip.

             
“This is good. Are you sure you don’t want any?” I asked.

             
“I will in a bit,” he said. “I had a big breakfast before I left. I couldn’t wait, I was too hungry.” He picked up a piece of bread and began pulling it apart. Breaking off a piece of cheese, he popped it in his mouth and chewed slowly.

             
“What about you?” I asked. “What’s your story?”

             
“Story?” He raised an eyebrow.

             
“I mean, what about your family. I’ve bored you with my details. It’s your turn.”

             
“Ah,” he broke off a bit of crust and put it in his mouth. “There’s Micah. I’ll have to come clean and confess. He’s not my Dad. But he’s like a father to me, I suppose. We’ve been together a long time.”

             
“Where are your parents?” I asked.

             
“I don’t know,” he said.

             
“Oh.”

             
“You’re feeling sorry for me,” he said. “I can see it in your eyes. But you don’t need to be. It’s not like that. It’s been a long time.”

             
“You said that already,” I smiled. “About it being a long time, I mean. Time heals all wounds right?”

             
“No. No, it doesn’t.”

             
I didn’t know what to say so I didn’t respond.

             
“I don’t mean it that way,” he said. “I mean I don’t miss my parents just like you don’t miss your mother. Time heals those wounds. But there are some things that just never get better.”

             
“Like what?” I asked.

             
“Like love.” The bit of bread he was holding fell from his fingers. He glanced up at me and I felt that electric jolt again. His gaze was intense. It was like he was looking deep into my soul for an answer to a question I didn’t know. I’d never had anyone look at me that way before.

             
Hunger. He looked hungry.

             
A memory passed before my eyes, flashing in and out of existence before I could fully comprehend what I’d seen.

             
Eyes, piercing into my soul. A match book cover. A lit candle. Fear. Urgency. A voice reaching out to me in the darkness.

             
I love you. I won’t lose you. This time it’ll be different.

             
It wasn’t.

Kian snapped me back to the present.
“But what do I know about that?” he said. “Come on, eat up. Let’s go for a walk and find the falls. They should still be frozen this time of year. I’ll bet it’s really something to see.”

             
“All right,” I said.

             
We packed up the food and put the leftovers back in the trunk along with the blanket which was wet from the snowy picnic table. The sun was really giving the world a beating today. If it kept up, we’d be having an early spring which would be nice for a change. It was tough living in a place where it seemed to snow more than half the year. I dreamed of the day when I finished high school where I could go to a place where it was sunny all the time. It would be nice to get a tan once in a while.

             
Off to the side of the parking lot was an open path that led to the falls but it was covered in deep snow so I suggested we find another way in. We moved along the shore line for a bit before we managed to find the creek that led to the falls. The snow wasn’t better but we were able to move about without too much of a struggle. I pulled my wool hat down over my ears to keep warm from the northern wind as it blew softly at my face.

             
It was beautiful there. The trees were covered with snow that sparkled beneath the bright rays of the sun. Icicles hung from branches, several of which were dripping bits of water. Kian picked up some snow in his hands and squished it together to make snowball which he promptly threw at me, hitting me squarely in the chest. I laughed and returned the favour with much better aim than him. He ended up with a mouthful of snow.

             
“I’m sorry,” I could barely get the words out from laughing so much. He looked beautiful with snow dripping from his cheeks and eyelashes. His eyes sparkled like bright diamonds.

             
Something rustled in the bushes and both Kian and I turned. A small, furry shape scampered from its spot in the snow and bolted down the creek bed.

             
“A jack rabbit,” I said. I watched it as it took a giant leap into the air and disappeared into the trees. “Did you see it?”

             
“It’s beautiful,” he said.