To Be Young And In Love In New York City

Chapter 14: "Go Big Or Go Home"

An indistinct voice.

"Colette?"

Who was calling her?

"Hey, Colette?"

Who's speaking?

"Colette? Hey, wake up, please."

Colette's eyes flew open. Through the blur, she could vaguely make out Hazel's body lying next to her. She blinked several times, trying to gain clarity. Her vision focused and Hazel appeared clearer. She was wrapped in her covers, snoring loudly.

She averted her eyes to the person next to her: River.  Sitting upright on his folded legs, his hand on her thigh, he was staring at her. "Hey."

Her hand reached for her phone and turned it on. A bright '5:38' flashed in her face. "Why did you wake me up at 5 a.m. in the morning?" She whisper-yelled, to not wake Hazel up.

"I need to show you something."

"Can't it wait?"

"Please," He pleaded. There was something different in his eyes. Fear? Nervousness? Anxiety? She couldn't tell.

She did as he told. River zipped the tent open and got out, letting her do the same. The cold ground made her shiver and she quickly put on her shoes. 

The sun hadn't come out yet, shades of the night lingering in the sky. A slight mist covered the air, and the birds began their usual morning chorus. The woods looked beautiful in the dawn, giving off a creepy and mysterious aura.

"Come along," River told her. Colette hugged her pyjamas closer to her, goosebumps from the morning cold dancing on her skin. They trudged through the bushes and the crispy leaves, Colette having no clue where River was taking her. He stopped when the reached the bank of the lake. She noticed a small wooden boat floating in the water, restrained by a rope tied to a rock.

"Get in."

Colette glanced at River. "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "We're just gonna go boating around the lake."

Taking the help of his hand, she got into the boat. The water splashed under her weight, and the boat moved a little, but River held it firmly until she settled down. Doing the same, he took a seat opposite to her and untied the boat. Grabbing the paddles, he began rowing. 

The boat swiftly moved forward and Colette held back the urge to stare at River's strong arms paddling it forward. He stopped when they reached the middle of the lake, woods surrounding it from all directions.

The lake became placid a few moments after they stopped; Colette could see tiny ducks wobble in the water. The sun was slowly rising, the sky turning into warm shades.

"I brought you here for a reason," River spoke.

Colette looked at him. His face was stoic and his body stiff, the paddles resting on either side of him. "What reason?"

"I remember on our date, you told me how badly you wanted to witness a sunrise. That's why I brought you here, so you could finally see one."

Colette's mouth curved into a smile. "I'm surprised you remember."

"But that's not all," He continued as if she had never spoken, "I wanted to ask you something."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"

He exhaled, scratching his eyebrow. "I......We've known each other for over two months. We've hung out-a lot. In this time period, I'm not sure when, but I fell for you. I told you that yesterday, and you told me you did too. I was expecting it, but wasn't sure."