The Life of a Princess

Chapter 17 - What Beautiful Is

We trudged for at least a half hour before we reached an opening in the forest. Hunter had me closing my eyes before we got too close and I was irking to know what kind of place it was. I couldn't hear or smell anything different, only the birds above and the earth beneath us. I felt a slight breeze on my cheeks as Hunter held his hands over my eyes.

"I want you to know I have never shown this place to anyone else before," he says from behind me and I nod carefully, as if I would ruin everything if I spoke too soon. "And I don't want you to tell anyone, either." I nodded again and Hunter removed his hands slowly and I opened my eyes. I didn't know what to expect, really. I didn't have a single clue, but that's understandable because no one could have guessed this.

The valley before me was beautiful, so breathtaking in it's simpleness. The same kind of pines stretched out to the horizon in the infinity in front of us. It wasn't like the road we parked the car by, but so open and refreshing. I felt so small standing there, even though I was above it all on a cliff. I didn't dare walk closer to the edge, afraid of losing my balance and falling into the deadly paradise, but I didn't go backwards either. I couldn't even hear the river running below us due to the height we were standing on. I was frozen speechless even though I had so much to say.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Hunter said, seeming lost in the endlessness too. I scoffed at his choice of words and looked at him.

"Wow," I said and that was all needed. Nothing more and nothing less could describe the place.

"You got that right." Hunter came to stand next to me. "I am amazed every time I come here." I nod in agreement, feeling as if I would've been the same.

"How did you find the place?" I almost whispered, scared to ruin the seemingly delicate peace of the nature. Hunter looked back at me, uncertainty clouding his eyes like smoke rising from the burning flame I couldn't see. It was like my question lit a fire in his memory and automatically, his body went stiff. I just triggered something, and I wanted to know what.

"Coincidental," he spluttered, turning away and stomping further along the cliff top. I scoffed humorlessly and followed him.

"You coincidentally walked thirty minutes into a forest and found this?" I pushed, grabbing his shoulder and turning him to me. Hunter's jaw was locked, and his nostrils were flaring as if he was holding back tears. I felt myself soften up and loosened my grip on his shoulder to a caring hand.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said softly, looking down at his shoes. I didn't know what to do, so I grabbed his hand and pulled him with me to his bag he had put down. Not knowing what it was for, I picked it up and handed it to him,

"What are you building?" I questioned as he opened it. My eyes trailed over his body while he explained everything about the bench he was building. I asked if I was allowed to help but he turned down my offer instantly. I found it very odd that he was so protective over the place, but I didn't have any assumptions to why. It seemed like you got this package with Hunter: him, and a whole bunch of questions without answers.

While I was sitting on the hard rocks with crossed legs and just admiring the view, the book from earlier suddenly landed in my lap. I looked up to find Hunter with a smile on his face.

"It's going to take a while, so I thought you might as well could get started," he said while handing me a pen. I smiled gratefully and opened the book to the first page as he went off to where he was building the bench. I noticed him brushing away dirt from some planks that were leaning against a tree further away. It seemed legit that he would need to use them for his work. It surprised me I didn't ask about it before.

I looked down at the blank page before me. I didn't know how to write diary, it didn't come naturally to me. Yet, I wanted to write one to read when I was forty and married, but it was harder than you would think, so I just wrote about the other day:

30.08.14

Dear Diary,

I don't know how to write you, but I'll give it a try. So to the future me who is reading this, don't laugh.

I've had a fight with Riley, and it is big apparently because we aren't on speaking terms. He figured I was engaged to Edward and got mad since I hadn't told him. If I could've changed the past, I would've told him about it, but it's not possible so I don't know why I'm writing that.

After that I got invited to Angela's sleepover. It felt foreign to be with them and I didn't fit in. Still, I got something good out of that night; I got to know Hunter more. Future me will probably be smiling at this since she knows how it all ended. Maybe she had to leave America and Hunter behind and now I'm awaking old, painful memories. Or maybe she came back to America and is still together with him, or just an acquaintance. At least she will look back at this moment where I sat on a rock on the most beautiful place on earth with Hunter just nearby working on that strangely sentimental bench.

Anyways, at the sleepover, Hunter and I kissed – twice. I would've never guessed that he liked me judging by the way he acted towards me in the beginning, but the world has seen stranger things apparently.

But now the other day I was looking for Hunter to hang out when I found him in the classroom with his friends. They were talking in hushed tones, so I listened. I didn't know about what, and I still don't, but this is what they said:

"We can't drag in more people. It's enough as it is."

Then Hunter said, "Nobody needs to know. It's not going to last long, anyway."

The voice I don't know who belonged to, replied,"I'm telling you, she's nothing but trouble."

Then he was cut off when someone walked into the classroom. I keep wondering what they were talking about. What girl was it? Angela? Candice? Me? Can someone explain? Am I not going to last long? Am I trouble?

I don't want a broken heart, but can I avoid it?

I closed the book and looked up at Hunter. He was hammering two planks together as if his life depended on it. The low afternoon sun hit his already sweaty skin, giving him a natural glow. I found him attractive where he stood, even with the God-awful topsy-tail. Suddenly his eyes met mine and I smiled.

"Having fun?" I asked and he looked down again and started hammering.

"Yea- ow, fuck, shit!"

Hunter suddenly dropped all the things in his hands and bit his lip as if refraining from screaming. He held his thumb in his palm and tightened his fist around it. I quickly stood up from the uncomfortable rock I had been sitting on and ran over to him.

"Did you hammer your thumb?" I laughed, and took his hand in my own. He nodded solemnly and looked at his throbbing finger.

"Yes- ow, don't touch it!"

"Sorry." I retracted my hand and smirked up at him. He looked back at me and furrowed his brows when he saw me smiling. He tilted his head as if confused, but I didn't give him time to question anything before I came a little closer. My hand started quivering unwillingly and my heart beat differently than before as I closed the distance between us. My lips gently touched his before adding pressure. Hunter seemed surprised at first, maybe finding it an odd time to kiss him. Nevertheless, his cracked lips moved with mine like he had just made up his mind about something.

The kiss was innocent, yet more beautiful than what was before us. The gorgeous valley couldn't even compare to the bliss I was feeling. Something so genuine was in it, something very real. It wasn't love, but something so clear I should have been able to see it with closed eyes. Maybe it was our feelings for each other, or the state our minds were put in in this situation. But I was betting on some kind of understanding we had towards each other. Some kind of compassion that just showed that it was okay.

Whatever "it" was.