November

Chapter Seven

-Cooper-

My time spent not focusing on Oliver didn't last long. The next morning, I got a text from him.

"Hey, sorry to keep bothering you. Brad doesn't want to go to Sol Duc Falls, so I'm heading there by myself. Do you want to hike together again? If not, no worries. :) I know you might have better things to do."

I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face. "Of course I'm up for another hike! I'll meet you there."

As I quickly got my stuff together, humming with excitement, I packed some of the cookies that Annabelle and I had baked last night. It had turned into quite a project - we made two different sets of s'mores cookies, one with a chocolate base and the other with a graham cracker base. I hoped Oliver would like them.

I showed up at the trailhead parking lot a few minutes before Oliver did. Since it was a Wednesday, there were only two other cars, and I watched the road with anticipation. It made me happy that Oliver wanted to hike with me again. I know I was the only person he knew out here, but if he didn't like being around me, he wouldn't have asked me to join him.

He finally arrived and parked next to me, and I gave him a huge smile. When he smiled back, I swore I got butterflies.

"Thanks for hanging out with me again," Oliver said. "When I asked for your number on the plane, I promise I wasn't intending to be this annoying."

I laughed. "You're not annoying. I've enjoyed hanging out with you."

"It's starting to feel like I'm seeing more of you than Brad on this trip," he joked.

"What's his deal anyway?"

Oliver rolled his eyes as he got his pack out of the car. "He didn't feel like hiking today. Or driving an hour each way to see this waterfall. It really sucks, since he's been working a lot lately and this trip was supposed to be a chance for us to spend more time together."

"I'm sorry. Is this typical of him?"

Oliver put his pack on and we walked over to the trail. "I guess it is when I think about it. Sometimes he cancels our dinner plans because a friend came into town last minute, or there's a networking event, or something else happening." He shook his head. "I shouldn't complain about him to you. That's shitty of me to do, especially if I don't make a point to balance it out with the good things he does."

I doubted there were any good things Brad did, but I didn't say that. "We all complain sometimes. And I think most people vent about their partner once in a while."

"You're probably right. What about your boyfriends? You said it's hard to date out here."

"Yeah, it is. I've had three relationships, and none of the guys lived here. One guy lived in Olympia and the other two lived in Seattle. It's a lot of driving and committing all day or all weekend to seeing each other, which means it doesn't happen every weekend. The guy from Olympia lasted a year, but the long distance got to him when I was on a fishing job. No one wants to go months without seeing their partner."

"That would be tough. Have you ever thought of moving closer to the city, or did any of the guys show interest in moving out here?"

"I've thought about it, but I love it out here and I want to stay near my family, so I'm not ready to make that sacrifice. But most people don't want to live out in the middle of nowhere."

Oliver shrugged. "I think it's pretty. And peaceful."

"It is, but living here can be challenging. There aren't a lot of restaurants, big grocery stores or department stores, or much to do if you're not into the outdoors. That keeps a lot of people away."