Starting Over

chapter ten

Scarlett

"Alright we are nearly there." Brody shouts down to me.

He and Colby picked me up just before midday and we set off driving. We reached a tiny fence at the bottom of the hill and parked up. It wasn't until I was at the top of the first small hill that Brody told me we were hiking the Hawthorne trail.

I didn't know much about hiking or the trails in Whitedale but I trust Brody and that he know's where he's going.

Another thirty minutes and we reach a clearance.

"Wow." I pant. Brody opens his backpack for Colby's water bowl and sets it down for him.

"Come on, over here." He takes my hand in his as we walked to the edge of the small mountain.

"This view is unbelievable." I gasp taking in the unexpected view.

"You can literally see the full town from up here."

"It's one of my favourite places." Brody tells me, staring off into the distance. "When my mother passed, I used to come here to think. To figure out how to help my father. How to make my life worth living."

I glance at Brody. His posture straight, jaw clenched. I clasp my free hand around our joined ones.

"He was an alcoholic. After my mother ... well he just didn't know what to do anymore. He always drank a lot, even when my mother was alive but it got ten times worse when she wasn't here. I quit college three months in because of my mother's death and I basically was the parent overnight. I had to deal with bills and the lawyers and the funeral. Then when my father passed last year, I had to do it all over again."

He told me he started renovating his house since last year, that must have been when his father died.

"That's terrible Brody. I can't imagine what you went through."

He shrugs, still staring at the view infront of us.

"I wanted to renovate the house as a kind of fresh start. A place where I can live with my family one day. A home that is exactly how I want it to be. That's my dream."

"That's really beautiful Brody. I hope one day your dream will become your reality."

He turns to face me, holding both my hands in his, while his eyes search mine.

"What's your dream Scar? What do you want in life?"

"I want to be happy and in love. I want to travel and see the world. I want a home with a family and for my partner to be loyal and supportive."

I answer almost immediately. My eyes glance down at our fingers intertwined, Brody's thumb stroking my knuckles.

"Your dream will become your reality too Scar, I know it will."

I chuckle, "Well I'm only twenty two, maybe one day in the future it will."

"Age is just a number beautiful. Everyone does life at a different speed and your right on track, trust me."

"So how come you're single? You cook, you have a cute dog, you have a gorgeous home on the beach, you're a-" I stop myself before I get carried away.

"I'm what?" His hands come to my neck, pulling my face towards him.

"Nothing." I whisper.

"No, go on. I'm?"

"You're handsome okay?!"

"And you're beautiful. I'd say we make a pretty good match."

His eyes flicker between my eyes and lips before he crashes his lips to mine, sending the butterflies in my stomach into a frenzy.