Then and now

Chapter 8: Amira's POV

I try not to focus on my hand in his as we walk on the dirt track. I'm not even sure you could call it a track, as it is pretty run down and you can barely see the path at this point. 

It makes me sad that no one takes care of our towns environment. It's one of the things that makes it interesting. Our town is surrounded by trees and forest, the only settlement for hours until you get to the main city. 

Even though we are fortunate enough to have beautiful surroundings, no one really ever appreciates it. I've actually never seen anyone go into the bush recently. Maybe people have forgotten about it in the midst of our extremely busy world and lives. 

I used to love walking in the bush. I would go every single day in the morning and afternoon. I stopped because Logan found out about it, and told me that he was worried I would get hurt. 

Why would he worry about that? He was the one hurting me. 

I shake the thoughts of him out of my head, not wanting to ruin this. 

"I love how this looks at night," I blurt out, and he turns back and smiles at me. Ashers white teeth are bright in the pitch black. 

I was a little nervous about going out at night. Old traumas have taught me that only bad things happen after 11. But this isn't all that bad. 

I'm beginning to trust Asher. I'm not sure if it's because of our history as kids, or if it is because he is the only person who has been genuine to me for a whole year. A bit of both, probably. 

"Yeah. It's beautiful. Just wait until we get to the destination," He keeps his eyes forward. This entire 10 minutes on the track, my hand has been in his. 

I can't say that I haven't had the urge to take my hand back. It's not anything to do with him, just the fact that any touch makes me uncomfortable at this point. 

A minute passes and I start to hear running water. Asher seems to hear it at the same time and looks back at me with an expectant face. 

I give him a small smile and nod. He seems pleased with that reaction, because he smiles again and leads us further. 

The noise is getting louder and louder and Asher makes his phone torch brighter. 

"Here we are," I look around. 

It is beautiful. 

We are standing about 3 feet away from a cliff, and I look below to see a waterfall coming from the other side running down to a small lake and stream. It is extremely hard to see, being it past midnight and pitch black but I can still see faintly because of the light coming from Ashers phone. 

"Wow. I've never seen this place before." 

He sits down and places his legs out in front of him, leaning on his hands. 

"Yeah. My uncle used to take me here as a kid. Kinda weird that I remembered the way, right?" 

"I guess so. But I think that core things from childhood stay with you if you want them to." 

I strongly believe that your childhood shapes who you grow up to be. I'm not saying that you can't change, but I think that if you knew someone or did something in your childhood for a long time, it is likely that you will always have an attachment to said person or thing. It's like an instinct and a comfort. 

I think that's why Asher is the first person I can see myself being friends with in a while. 

"Yeah. I've never thought about it that way, but that makes sense."  

We change the subject and start to just chat, with him doing most of the talking while I sit there and listen. 

At some point we both lay down, our backs being supported by the rough dirt below us. As we talk I am extremely aware of how close we are. I'm trying not to think about it too much. I've never trusted someone this much since him. I trust Asher so much that I came out into the woods with him in the dark, kept walking with him and now I am lying on the edge of a cliff with him only about 2 feet away.