by Sam Ayers
“There are three other people. My friends,” she sighed.
“Then what am I doing here, Jo?” he asked nonchalantly. He paid for the coffee and walked away. Her body tensed up when he walked past her without another word.
Seth’s place wasn’t big enough for three people. Jo got the guest room because Aiden decided to sleep on the couch. Seth tried to convince him to take the room, but Aiden wouldn’t listen. As he lay on the couch, he kept thinking that he had acted hastily. A noise disturbed his thoughts. Was someone here, a thief maybe?
The living room was dark as he walked towards the noise, and without realizing he tripped and landed on Jo, who switched on her flashlight to see Aiden on top of her.
“Ouch! My head hurts,” she cried out in pain. Aiden helped her up and rubbed her head a little.
“You okay? Does it still hurt? Sorry, I didn’t see you,” he said. “Do you want me to get some ice?”
She pulled his hand as he got up from the couch. “Don’t go, please!”
“I’m here, Jo.” He knew that she might get a bad headache soon, so he pulled his bag to him and took some Tylenol out for her. “One minute,” he said, going to the kitchen to get her some water. “Here, it will reduce the pain.”
“Thanks,” she sighed. Aiden sat quietly holding her hand. He had faced worse; his normal headache was ten times worse than Jo’s pain. He patted her head lightly and pulled her closer, hugging her lightly.
“Feel better?”
“Yeah,” she said and wrapped her arms around his waist. “This is so calming!”
“My mother hugs me when I have a headache.” He smiled. “It’s always good to know that you aren’t alone when you are in pain.”
She looked up. “I am sorry! I should have told you about my friends. We have been planning this for a long time, but everyone is always busy. This year was just lucky. And I really wanted to share this with you. This experience, the fun and the adventure; it’s not the same without you, Aiden.”
“You are wrong! This is about you and your friends.”
“So we aren’t friends? Am I still a stranger?” She huffed and pulled away. “Pretend that they aren’t here, that it’s just you and me. Then it will be fine!”
He couldn’t answer to that, so he sat quietly, cursing his bad luck. “Fine, I’ll come along. But tell me where we are going, please!”
She grinned widely and threw her arms around him. “You are coming with us! Yay! We are going to Grouse Mountain!”
He knew where it was and what they would do, and groaned deeply. Aiden Reid was many things, but he wasn’t an adventurous kind of person.
The next morning was just as gloomy as a stormy night for Aiden. They were going hiking! And the trail was marked Difficult. Seth and Jo were very enthusiastic. As Aiden didn’t have a pair of hiking boots, they stopped by a sports store where Seth helped him select a good pair.
“You haven’t done this before, have you?” he asked.
Aiden shook his head. “Listen, it’s gonna be hard. Most people quit halfway. You sure you can do this?” Seth asked when Aiden bought his boots.
“I’m not a quitter, Seth!” Aiden smirked and walked out. He met the other friends Jo had mentioned last night. Anne was a fitness freak, so she agreed to do this. Amy wasn’t all that excited; she felt that it was too challenging. Seth’s best friend, Brad, was here too. He reminded Aiden of Alex, as he was not just strong but a huge flirt, too; Jo avoided him all the time. Aiden thought that he knew this guy from somewhere, but he let it go, thinking he must have imagined it.
Grouse Grind was around thirty minutes from Vancouver. It was one of the most popular and used trails. Jo told Aiden that the distance was almost 2.9km and it would easily take them two hours to reach the top. Seth asked everyone to drink as much water as possible because they could easily get dehydrated. They carried bottles too. Aiden took this as a challenge and moved forward. Notices to hikers were put up here and there. When everyone was finally ready, they started their hike. Moving forward, Aiden saw a huge signboard that said, ‘GROUSE GRIND TRAIL. THIS WAY’, with an arrow pointing towards the trail. Aiden and Jo were the first ones to start their hike uphill when they walked past a gate and a small bridge. They kept walking till they reached a sign at a fork in the trail. Jo noticed that her friends were still taking time to reach the point where she was and she also noticed that Aiden was moving quickly.
Wow! He’s fast! She thought. She walked towards him and they took the left fork and continued their uphill climb. It was stunning; the trail was right in the middle of the trees. Huge trees concealed the wooden steps, giving only glimpses of the trail that lay ahead. They made their way over rocks, roots, and wooden steps. All of a sudden, Jo tripped on the roots but Aiden managed to grab her hand and pull her up. He held her hand as they climbed. A few minutes later, Jo heard a noise. She turned around to see Anne right behind them; the girl was definitely in shape, easily jumping over the roots and ascending very fast.
“Aiden, look, doesn’t she remind you of that girl from the movie Ring? She climbs like that too.” Jo giggled. Aiden snickered, as he too noticed the likenesses. Anne was amazing, but he knew that she was just straining and wasn’t pacing herself, which would cause her to tire out faster.
Fifteen minutes later, they reached a small bridge over a dried-up creek. Aiden was timing their hike; Mr. Perfectionist wanted this thing to be done within two hours. Jo couldn’t see her friends, and Anne had already moved past them at full speed. Ten minutes later, they reached the first quarter mark. Each quarter mark had a huge sign with the number and a notice to the hikers.
Jo decided to wait for Seth and the others; she sat on a rock near the tree where the quarter mark was pinned up. Aiden didn’t want to leave her alone, so he sat next to her and sipped on his water bottle. It took Seth and Brad more than five minutes to join them. They were breathless.
“Jo, you’re here!” Seth exclaimed. “Amy gave up as soon as we started!”
Brad chuckled and added, “She didn’t make it to that bridge too. Where is the freak?” he said, his voice teasing as he asked about Anne. Jo explained how she strode past them at full speed. Seth and Brad wanted to take a break, but Aiden started to move uphill.
“Wait up, Aid,” Jo called after him and joined him. They set a steady pace as they walked ahead. They reached the second quarter mark where Aiden read that the trail ahead was extremely steep and difficult. It was lovely with all those trees around, but it was cold and a little dark too.
‘PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK’
The sign was doing a good job of making people stop halfway, but Aiden didn’t feel like giving up yet. He was pleased to know that Jo was still enthusiastic and wanted to continue the hike. They stopped in between for some water. The trail weaved its way uphill over more wooden steps and they reached the third quarter. Aiden couldn’t believe that he was doing this. He smirked and walked forward. Suddenly they noticed that the sky was growing darker, clear blue making way to dark gray, the threatening clouds whirling and crashing in vast and clammy pile-ups. There was a distant sound of the thunder rumbling overhead, and the seemingly abrupt darkening and change in color of the sky made Jo hold on to Aiden’s arm firmly. They were stuck between the second and third quarter of the trail, and there was no way to turn back now. If they got stuck in rain, it would be hard to go on.
“Come on, there’s no time to waste. We can’t get caught in this rain,” Aiden spoke quickly and started moving forward. They reached the third quarter, which was the steepest with the trail traversing over rocks in some sections. Jo slipped as she tried to keep up with Aiden’s speed. Aiden, who was still holding her hand, managed to pull her up. Unfortunately, she had hurt her hand and it was bleeding. Aiden, who wasn’t sure about what to do, ripped his handkerchief in half and tied it around her hand, stopping the bleeding. It still hurt, so he tried to guide her towards the trail. Huge raindrops were hitting the ground loudly; they were alread
y drenched, but knowing that they were almost at the end, they moved forward as fast as they could. It was hard for Aiden to see, but he still maintained a tight grip on her hand and walked ahead. Jo was grateful that she had him here.
“Aiden, please wait,” she called. She sat down on a rock as the rain poured, feeling very tired; he removed his jacket and tried to cover her head. They were just five minutes away from the fourth and final quarter. Finally, Jo managed to gather some courage and jumped up.
“Let’s do this.” She smiled. Losing all his control, he pulled her into a tight hug. “That’s the spirit! When we make it to the top, we can celebrate,” he said, placing a kiss on her brow. She nodded and they started walking again. The rain had slowed to a drizzle now and they were able to see well. They arrived at the final quarter mark. The way ahead was also quite steep with some sections containing very large steps and rocks.
There was a voice in Aiden’s mind that kept saying, “Keep going, you’re almost there!” He knew that there was no chance of quitting. He had to overcome this one, and he would. It was very hard as the rocks and roots were wet and Jo kept losing her balance. The adventurous spirit never died, though. She was still enthusiastic as she was two days ago. Slowly moving forward, they saw a light ahead of them.
“We are almost there,” Aiden called and helped her in the steep area. They finally reached the top with much struggle as Jo’s pain had increased. But she wasn’t worried about that as they stood at the top of the mountain.
“WE COMPLETED THE GRIND!” she cried. She couldn’t help herself; her excitement had already reached its limits. She jumped on Aiden and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back. Remembering that he had a bandage somewhere in his pocket, he told her to sit quietly on a rock. Clearing her wound with water, he bandaged it up. She felt happy to see this side of Aiden Reid. The kind, caring and loving Aiden!
“Aiden,” Jo called. When he looked up to see if she wanted something, she moved closer and placed a soft kiss on his lips. He was taken aback for a moment and couldn’t respond. She pulled away and whispered, “Thanks for putting up with me. I know that I’m crazy for doing this, but it means a lot when you stand by my side. Thanks for not giving up.”
He was surprised to hear this, but, placing his hand on her cheek, he responded, “My pleasure.” His mind felt fuzzy and he wanted to kiss her back, but his thoughts were cut short when Anne walked towards them and cleared her throat.
“So you guys made it? Well done, Jo,” she mocked and walked away.
“What’s with her?” Aiden asked as he sat next to her and handed out a bottle of water.
“She doesn’t like me,” Jo stated as she sipped from the bottle. When Aiden raised his eyebrow, she continued, “You see, we were all in the same boarding school. We were friends at first, but things changed. She liked Seth, but he was dating Abigail.”
“Wait! Abigail? Your best friend Abigail? The wedding planner Abigail?” Aiden asked in disbelief.
She nodded and replied, “The same one. They dated for almost five years, but Brad came along and ruined everything.” Aiden had guessed that this guy wasn’t all that noble and his guess was right. Jo looked towards the trail; there was still no sign of Brad or Seth. Anne was around, so she wasn’t able to tell Aiden everything. A sudden noise made them jump and Seth came running towards them, stretching his arms.
“Yes! I made it,” he shouted and gave Jo an exuberant high five. “It took me more than two hours!”
Anne came closer and asked, “Where’s Brad?”
“He gave up at the second quarter. Man, it was dark – and those trees were creepy. Did you get caught in the rain too?”
Anne just nodded, but Jo replied, “Yeah, it was horrid. And the trail was steep,” she sighed.
“Well, it’s over now. Let’s go guys. Brad would have made it to the bottom already, and he said that he was going to wait with Amy; we can go to the Chalet and get something to drink. And buy our ticket for the Gondola ride.”
“I want to stay and check out the scenery,” Aiden said. “I’m not sure if I’ll come here again. This place looks great. You guys go ahead; I’ll meet you down or Seth can give me the address to his place and I’ll catch a cab later.”
Jo was surprised to hear this; she wanted to spend some time with him, but it looked like he had other plans. Aiden got up and held his hand out towards her, “Come on Jo, let’s go. Jacob would love to see photos of our trip, right? I’m pretty sure my folks would love them, too.”
She got up; still surprised by the way he was behaving. He had changed; he was smiling more, and when she hesitated, he winked.
“Sure, let’s go,” Jo said, smiling. “I’ll see you guys later.”
They wandered aimlessly around the top of Grouse Mountain, taking photos and talking about their next destination. Jo informed Aiden that her friends wouldn’t be joining them. Finally our holiday is starting, he thought.
“So where are we going next?” Aiden asked curiously.
“Storm Watching!” Jo replied cheerfully.
He smiled, “Great! Jo, I was wondering if you would allow me to choose the other destinations by myself. We’ll do it the same way. I’ll plan it all and you won’t know till we reach that place.”
“Ah! Sounds interesting. I can’t wait to see the place you choose,” she replied enthusiastically.
They spent some time there and bought tickets for the gondola ride. It was fun to see the whole place. Jo had planned for another great place and they were going to be alone this time. Later that day, she told him about the picturesque fishing village of Tofino where they would go storm watching. Another adventure, but the best is yet to come!
- Chapter 16 -
Windswept Confessions
“Aiden,” he heard a voice, soft and gentle, calling him.
“Aiden, wait.” Again!
He walked towards the voice, stumbling over roots, unable to see what was ahead of him in the darkness. It took him some time to realize what was happening and where he was. Suddenly, a piercing cry made him jump. He turned around to see a light, a faint light, and there she was, standing alone, with her arms wide open, calling him towards her.
This was the first time he saw her, and she was right there. Dark eyes filled with tears. She was calling him, and as he grabbed her hand . . . she disappeared.
* * *
Aiden opened his eyes to see Gabriel and Adele standing in front of him. Adele moved to his side and helped him up. He looked around to see the familiar room of the hospital where he was once admitted.
“What am I doing here?” he questioned Gabriel.
Gabe walked around the room and sat on his chair. “The girl from your dreams seems to be close to you in some way. Do you feel some kind of connection? Attraction, perhaps?”
“I don’t know,” Aiden murmured and shook his head.
“Do you think that you know this girl? Are you attracted to someone and you feel a connection? That’s what we need to find out.”
* * *
Pushing his thoughts aside, Aiden opened his eyes to see water in front of him. He was on a ferry, and Jo was right next to him. Gabe spoke about attraction. But why did he remember that now?
Jo placed her hand on his shoulder, “Are you alright?”
“Huh? Yeah . . . yeah, I’m fine.” Aiden was trying to figure out what exactly was happening. They were going to Tofino. They left early in the morning to Nanaimo and it took them almost four hours to reach there. They were on the second leg of the journey, on a ferry to Tofino.
Suddenly, his mobile vibrated in his pocket and that made him jump. Pulling it out, he saw that Alex was calling him. He pressed the answer button.
“First you call me at stupid o’clock and then cut the call and disappear. I called Adele and Gabriel picked up, and he was mad at me as usual,” Alex yelled.
“Hi, Al,” Aiden replied patiently.
“Hi? HI? That’s all you gotta say to me!?”
Jo couldn’t help but laugh when she saw the wide grin on his face.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Alex grumbled.
“Alex, calm down. Breathe.” Sometimes it was fun to annoy him, and Aiden felt thrilled. He could hear Alex take a deep breath on the other end.
“Okay! But seriously, Aido, where are you?”
“I thought Adele told you. Didn’t she?”
“I told you, Gabe answered and you know that he HATES me!” Aiden knew that Alex wasn’t exaggerating.
“Gosh! Then try to MAKE UP with him,” Aiden suggested.
“You think I haven’t? The man can’t move past bygones!” Even Jo could hear him scream. Aiden sighed and replied, “Say you’re sorry! And end this.”
“It wasn’t my fault! And that wasn’t why I called actually,” Alex calmed down a bit.
“Is it about Rachel again? She called me last week, and now you want to know why I didn’t tell you?” So he had been talking to Adele about this.
“Look, Aido, are you alright?”
“What? Of course! Why are you asking this now?” Aiden sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“I don’t know, just felt like I had to talk to you,” Alex replied.
“So you finally got time, huh? Isn’t your girlfriend with you right now?” Aiden knew that he sounded rude, but that wasn’t going to stop him now.
“Let’s leave Abby out of this, Aido. Just tell me: you okay or not?”
“Abby? Her name is Abby? What kind of name is Abby?” Aiden sounded annoyed; he knew that Alex was playing around again. Didn’t he learn his lesson when he got dumped last time? After a minute or two, he calmed down a bit and said, “BC. I’m in BC.”
“Vancouver?” Alex asked curiously.
“On our way to Tofino, dude.” Aiden smiled at Jo. She grinned and looked towards the water ahead.
