Bad plan.

16

   The further away from Portland we got the cooler the air became. Karl had followed the GPS to highway 26 going northbound, I didn't have any idea what he had planned but I was thankful for him getting us away from everything.
    I leaned my head back in seat, my wrist poking out the open window. I glanced over at him, he eyes trained on the rode, his elbow sticking out the window as he drove with one hand. Neither of us had said a word since we left the three stooges in the parking lot an hour ago.
    "So do I dare ask where you're taking me?" I finally spoke up, I watched as the corner of his mouth perked up.
    "You'll see." He replied, glancing over at me, those gorgeous eyes staring at me. I could go on to great lengths trying to describe the colors of them and still fall short. They had to have been my favorite thing about him.
    The rest of the ride was quiet, it was a long drive, music played through the speakers as we neared his destination. I knew where he was headed as I saw the signs for Mt Hood. I smiled to myself as he turned off the highway, following the winding road up to Timberline Lodge.
     I glanced again at him, does he realize exactly how important he has become in my life? It was as if he just got me, the craziness of filming, constantly being surrounded by people, everyone expecting so much me. Oh all the places he could taken me, he took me to the mountain. During summer it's not busy, the snow retreats to the top and leaves Timberline, and so do the crowds of people.
     He killed the car as he parked it, winking at me as he stepped out. I laughed to myself getting out as well, I walked around to his side of the car. Karl was staring out into the valley below, the sun casting an orange glow on him.
    "Alright kid, you're the one from around here, tell me what I'm looking at." He stated, not bothering to look at me.
    I pointed out with my left hand to the valley below, the faint buildings of Portland in the distance.
    "That's Portland, looks so small from here." I told him, slowing moving my arm to the left. "Right about there should be O.C. Where I live."
    He said nothing, a small smile on his lips as I pointed out the scenery before us.
   "And those peaks over there in the far distance, those are the three sisters. Can't see them from the valley floor." I chuckled, I felt his finger tips brush my right hand before locking with mine. My heart skipped a bit as he did so, I tried not think about it. Taking a shaky breath I pointed to the mountain on our right that was closer. "That's St. Helens, she blew her top in 1980, but has recently been rebuilding it with small eruptions."
   "Beautiful." He stated, looking at me, and again like the time at the bar I wasn't sure if he was talking about me or something else. This time though I wasn't going to think about, I was just going to live in the moment. "What else?"
    I started to point out other landmarks as he stepped behind me, I could feel my body start to shake. Slowly he wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder as I continued to talk about the Pacific Northwest. It took everything in me not to bolt, not there would be anywhere to run to but I still had the urge to do so.
    "I'm sorry." I said softly, staring out watching as the sun slowly started to dip on the horizon.
    "For what?" He asked.
    "Making a mess of everything." I could feel my pulse acting like it was racehorse, pumping quickly through my veins.
    "You didn't." His smooth as Whiskey voice softly in my ear.
    "Yeah, I did. I let my anxieties get the better of me, at the bar, on set, in the gym. It's like when I'm put in a situation where I have to make a choice my brain shuts down. It just stops working, and rather just sit there and continue to make a fool of myself, like at the bar, I run." I admitted, talking to him without looking at him made this easier. I didn't have see if he was amused, or upset, if he disappointed. "I hate making decisions, whether or not I'm making the right one. And I overthink everything, constantly."
    "I think everyone over thinks from time to time." He reassured me, I chuckled at that.
    "Doesn't seem like it." I said, shaking my head, bringing my hand up to rest of his.
    "I do. I over thought that night at the bar when I asked you out." He told me, lifting his head from my shoulder bringing one his hands up to turn me to face him. Karl's soft eyes gazed down at me. "When you didn't respond, and just stared at me, I second guessed myself. I should of just given you a moment longer, you were talking to me but I was already shutting down cause I didn't want to be rejected."
     "I guess both of us muddled that up, huh?" I smiled up at him.
     "Yeah, I think we did." He laughed lightly, god I love that laugh. The way his eyes crinkled up, his smile, was there anything not perfect about this man. "But I think I figured you, I just had to go at this from a different way. You're a unique woman, Renee, I should of known asking out wouldn't of been that easy."
     "You know, you're quite the charmer. Keep saying stuff like that and I just might say yes to date." I laughed, trying to sound calm but really I was terrified of him asking me again. I don't know how to do this, whatever this was. Dating, relationships, that was all beyond me.
    "Really? Sounds like I might need to try a bit harder then." He joked back, his eyes flicking down to my lips.
    "Maybe." Slowly he leaned in, his lips connecting with mine. I swear I'm surprised my heart didn't burst of my chest, I must be dreaming, cause this wasn't an on set kiss, it wasn't in the gym. It was just the two of us on the side of sleeping volcano, stars startling to twinkle through the twilight of dusk.
     "Kid, promise me one thing." He said as he broke the kiss, tilting his forehead against mine.
      "Don't tell anyone about this yet." He breathed. "I want us to just enjoy this before everyone finds out. Just us, till we figure how to be us out."
     "Us?" I smiled to myself repeating the word.
      "Yeah, eventually they'll figure it out hopefully by then we'll be comfortable around each other." He kissed my forehead, I knew what he was getting at.
     My anxiety, he was concerned about it. Hell I was worried already how my sister was going to react, the teasing she was going to give me. And don't get me started on the ribbing from Chris.
    "Knock it off." He stated, his arms still around me. "Your minds already thinking of everything that could possibly come with this, so stop. One day at a time, one moment before the next."