[FEATURED on @teenfiction and @YA] After a life-changing move, Winter Moore realizes she needs to learn to climb if she wants to kick old habits and have a chance at her dreams. Murdoch Hayes, a lone-wolf and rock climber extraordinaire, might just...
After seeking refuge for the night in Gina's basement, Winter finally emerged from her safe haven just in time to catch the last bit of sunlight the following day. She watched as the sunset dwindled behind the horizon, its beams barely bouncing and refracting off the pond's surface in front of her.
She swung her feet back and forth as she leaned back into Murdoch's arm. He took a moment to drink from his steel water bottle before responding to her most recent rant.
"I'm happy for you," he decided. He turned to look at her as he continued. "And I support you."
Winter smiled gratefully when Murdoch handed his bottle to her. She took a swig of the water and wiped a drop from the corner of her lip.
"Thanks," she said, then sighed as her phone rang once again. She knew without checking that it would be John or Rose.
"You should actually answer this time," Murdoch suggested with a playful smirk.
"I texted Rose and told her I'd be coming home later. They're just being annoying at this point."
"They're worried," Murdoch corrected.
Winter stared at him for a long, blank moment. "Yeah," she acquiesced. She closed her eyes thoughtfully.
Murdoch watched as she sat back and looked rather peaceful for the first time that day; her lashes fanned beautifully over her cheekbones, her skin turning blue-white against the darkening sky. He brought a hand to run it through her hair, looping one of his fingers through the rare ringlet that formed in her curls. He smiled and felt grateful that he could be there for her in her time of need, but more strikingly, he was grateful that she was simply there.
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead sweetly, waking her from her deeper thoughts, and he hugged her into him while he asked. "What do you say about giving lead climbing another go, blow off some steam, and then I'll take you home?"
Winter raised her eyebrows and hugged him back, using his shoulder as a headrest while she inhaled his scent from the nape of his neck. "God, I haven't done that since we met," she recalled sourly. Then, remembering how far she'd come since then, said "Sure. I could use the distraction."
They walked from the park to Sharpton Rocks, and Murdoch let them in. The gym was closed now, giving them the floor to partake in whatever climbing they desired at their leisure. Winter waited by the wall while Murdoch retrieved the gear from the back.
He returned with a pair of rental shoes for her to use and began unraveling the harness while she squeezed into them. Once she finished, he squatted down and held the harness open for her to step into, and Winter placed her hand on his shoulder for balance while he slid the loops up her legs. He stood to his full height as he dragged the harness over her body, his thumbs tracing the seam of her pants as he came to close the clip around her waist.
It clicked into place and he tightened it so it was flush against her abdomen. Then, crouching back to his earlier position, he slid his hands down to fasten the loops around her mid thighs, all the while looking up at Winter with a mischievous glint in his eyes. His actions were slow and deliberate, and it proved an incredible contrast to the first time they'd been in such a position. Winter felt her face heat up and willed herself to take interest in the climbing wall at her side.
By the time her eyes traced her chosen problem up and down three times over, Murdoch had already secured her to the rope rig.
"Nervous?" he asked with a smirk.
Winter's eyes locked to his, and she felt her coyness from earlier fade. She smiled back. "About you or the wall?"
He quirked his brow in jest. "We'll see, I guess."
He stepped back and motioned her to begin her ascent. Winter turned to the problem before her. She resolved to do a pink one, which was considered to be of intermediate level. It would be a challenge given her experience, especially with lead climbing. Given her recent challenges, however, she felt she was up to the task. She squared her shoulders and rolled them back.
The first few grips of the problem took little out of her. They were standard grips that were placed relatively close to each other. By the time she was reaching the second quarter of the problem, she had falsely begun to believe that the rest would be just as easy.
The next grip was just out of arm's reach. She stretched out for it anyway, trying desperately to make contact with it, but fell short despite her efforts. She stopped and leaned back to coat her hands in chalk and give her time to think. Despite the problem at hand, though, she couldn't help her mind wandering to her fight with her father yesterday. She could feel the tension building in her head as she did so. Abruptly, she launched herself up the wall with a jump and grasped her hand around the plaster grip like a vice. She hung for a moment, but willed herself further to pull her weight up and grasp the next grip.
She managed to climb another 5 feet up the wall until she found a spot she could take a quick breather. Even through her pants and rapid heartbeat, she could hear her thoughts eating away at her.
What if she didn't really want to be an artist? What if everything she said yesterday was out of spite?
Winter wedged her toe into a socket on the side of the next grip so she could pull herself up enough to reach the next series of grips. She felt her calf shake from exhaustion and her fingers were beginning to cramp. A bead of sweat trickled from her temple down to her neck, and she swallowed the burning sensation that was building in her throat.
What if she just wasn't good enough to make it?
She soldiered up the final few grips, but carelessly slipped on the penultimate one. She nearly dropped off the course completely, but managed to scramble and hold her place with her other hand.
"You're good," Murdoch called from below.
Winter turned to look over her shoulder at him, at the conviction in his eyes as she neared the end of the problem. A strange feeling stirred in her chest as she gazed down at him, one which brought upon her and understanding of something she'd overlooked: she fought for him.
And she would be damned stupid not to fight for herself too.
Refocusing on the problem at hand, she pushed herself up and placed both of her hands on the final grip, bringing the problem to its end. Then, happily, she leaned off the wall and let herself fall, Murdoch catching her weight through the belay and lowering her down until her feet were just inches from the floor. He locked the belay device there and stepped forward as Winter hung back lazily in her suspended state.
Hearing his approach, she swung forward to sit up as he cradled her face in his hands and kissed her deeply, proudly. Her fingers laced through his dark hair, tousled still from working a day on the floor. She deepened the kiss, assured by the fact that Murdoch was hers and she was his, and she knew that she owed it to herself to try; she would do it for herself.
***
A quick (and late-night) update. Things have been busy in my world with a bunch of admin stuff for school being due soon. I've also started working as a freelance digital artist so I've been tied up with commissions for the past while and will be for the indefinite future. As such, I may have to switch to a bi-weekly update schedule for the last few chapters of Climb. Sorry for any inconvenience, but it's to ensure quality <3
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