Surviving Us (23 page)

“Thank you,” I lift my chin to return the kiss, “but what am I going to do?”

“Hold on one second,” he says, jumping up. “I’ll be right back; I’ve got an idea.”

While I wait for him to return, I dawdle out onto the deck and look down at the people lying out on the beach, thinking maybe we should just hang around the resort and be lazy like we did the previous day. At yesterday’s breakfast, Isaac had announced we could all disregard our scheduled sessions for the rest of the trip and enjoy our final five days in paradise. He felt everyone had done a great job of getting to know one another, especially after we pulled our efforts together to help the resort clean up the mess after the storm, and he wanted us to enjoy everything the island had to offer.

As far as I’m concerned, everything I need is right here at the resort
—a pristine beach, beautiful water, delicious food, and cold, refreshing drinks. What more do you need on a tropical getaway vacation?
Apparently, to climb volcanoes . . .

I turn around as I hear Davis bounding up the porch steps behind me, his smile stretching ear-to-ear, showing off those damn dimples that do funny things to my belly. He’s holding out a pair of running shoes and some ankle socks towards me, awfully proud of himself.

“Where did you get these?” I can’t help but laugh as I take them from his hands. “And how did you know what size?”

“I completely guessed on the size; I hope a seven works. I noticed your friend Ashleigh wearing two different sets of sneakers earlier in the trip, so I asked her if you could borrow some.”

I nod and sit down in the wicker rocking chair to put them on. “A seven is perfect, but I’m a little concerned you notice and remember people’s shoe selections,” I tease. “Do you have some foot fetish you haven’t unveiled to me yet?”

He grabs the other shoe from my hand, holding it out for my foot to slide into. “No, no foot fetish, but I do have a thing for shoes,” he admits. “My mom says I’m worse than a woman, but I think she’s just jealous of my impeccable taste in footwear. She always asks me to pick what shoes she should wear with each outfit.”

“Wow! Are you serious? That’s awesome,” I exclaim, “but I hate to disappoint you, ‘cause I’m neither a shoe nor purse girl.”

Once he finishes tying the knot, he takes my hands and pulls me up and out of the chair. “No, you’re a swimsuit girl. You haven’t worn the same one twice since we’ve been here.” Kissing me firmly on the mouth, he pats my butt. “In a perfect world, I’d have you prance around in front of me in a different bikini every day. You look amazing in every one of them, but right now, we need to go. Everyone’s waiting for us.”

We walk briskly down to the main house, where Charlotte, Ashleigh, and Kayden are standing next to a black four wheel drive Hummer-looking thing, with none other than Dr. Secret talking to them.

“Girl! There you are,” he calls out with the same bright smile I remember from the evening we arrived. “Come on, the Pitons are waiting for us. We’re going to have lots of fun.”

“Sorry, everyone. I was having wardrobe difficulties,” I offer my apology as I greet each of my friends with a good morning hug. “I’m ready now.”

“I like your shoes,” Ashleigh teases as we all climb up into the vehicle.

“Yes, thank you for these.” I slide onto the backseat next to Davis, leaving Ashleigh and Charlotte on the middle seat in front of us, and Kayden riding shotgun next to Dr. Secret.

“According to Davis, flip-flops are not ideal for volcano climbing. Though, in my defense, I had no idea we were going to be indulging in strenuous physical activity. You all better hope I don’t break any bones on this excursion; everyone always thinks I’m joking about being clumsy,” I warn them.

Davis rests his hand on my leg and kisses my temple, whispering against my forehead, “I promise I won’t let you get hurt, babe.”

For today, I believe him. I only wish that’s a promise he could keep forever.

The drive to the Piton volcano site is an excursion in itself. Steep, volcanic cliffs without guard rails, hairpin turns, and drivers who appear to pass on the crests of lofty hills make driving in St. Lucia a form of adventure sport. Dr. Secret seems to be in complete control throughout the trek, talking and joking with everyone, despite my constant cringing and the death grip I’ve got on Davis’ forearm.

Nearly an hour later
—
a very long hour, I might add
—
we pull into the visitor welcome center at Gros Piton, the larger and according to Dr. Secret, only one accessible for tourists to climb. We all pile out of the SUV, taking in the wondrous sight in front of us. Standing at the base, I tilt my head back and look up to the top of the lush, giant mountain.

“There’s no way in hell,” I mutter under my breath, my palms already sweating at just the thought of hiking up that beast.

Davis grabs my hand and tips his head toward where the others have already ventured off to. “You’re going to be fine. Trust me. Let’s go catch up with the others before they leave us though.”

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” I say as we hurry over to where our friends are checking in.

“Come on, baby girl,” Kayden belts out, squeezing my shoulder. “Why do you look so scared? You’re the youngest of all of us and you do those work out videos, right? You should be in great shape.”

“I’m not sure how ‘Hip Hop Abs’ and ‘PiYo’ translate into me being able to climb Mount Everest.” I scowl and everyone laughs.

I’m not trying to be funny.

“Come on, girl.” Dr. Secret beckons me over. “You and your boy walk up front with me. There’s nothing to worry about. Trust Dr. Secret.”

Call me crazy, and as nice as he seems, I’m still a bit leery trusting a stranger named Dr. Secret who drives like a bat out of hell. But evidently, I’m the only one.

Davis pulls on my hand, leading me towards the staircase of volcanic stones that mark the beginning of our ascent. Within minutes of the journey, I stop my whining and bitching and get lost in the mesmerizing path lined with beautiful flowers and the emerging views of the nearby island of St. Vincent. The time flies as the five of us, led by the hilarious Dr. Secret, travel upwards toward the peak. Davis and Kayden seem to be getting along, and I’m having a blast finally hanging out and chit-chatting with Charlotte and Ashleigh.

When we reach the halfway point, a silence falls over all of us as we take in the spectacular view of Petit Piton, the smaller volcano, nestled against a backdrop of the endless Caribbean Sea. The scene is absolutely picturesque. If this is the view at halfway, I’m suddenly eager to see what the peak has in store for us.

The second half of the journey is a bit more strenuous than the first. On several occasions, the guys have to help the females up and over some larger boulders,
but nonetheless, four hours after we initially began, we make it to the top, sans any cuts, bruises, or broken bones.

“Oh my,” I breathe as the full impact of the jaw-dropping view sinks in.

Davis settles in behind me, looping his arms around my waist as we both stand and stare out into the magnificent surroundings. Spread out all around us is three hundred and sixty degrees of landscape so unbelievably lush and so incredibly beautiful that it feels surreal. The clouds seem as though I can reach up and touch them, yet the sky blends almost seamlessly with the sapphire waters. Colorful rooftops from the fishing villages are sprinkled throughout the dense vegetation, and the island is no longer a collection of towns, green space, and beaches, but instead is an infinite landscape with an exquisite beauty that has no beginning or end.

“I finally found it,” Davis whispers so quietly in my ear I barely hear him.

“Found what?” I ask, not tearing my gaze from the view.

“Heaven on earth. Right here. In this place. With you,” he murmurs, resting his chin on my shoulder. “I never want to leave.”

Goose bumps cover my skin as a shiver runs down my spine. “I don’t either.”

It’s in this exact moment I make the most bittersweet, heartbreakingly beautiful discovery of my life. I’m falling in love with Davis McKay.

It’s not the been-together-for-years, know-everything-about-each-other kind of love. No, of course not; I’ve only known him a little over a week. But it
is
the I-want-to-spend-every-waking-moment-and-the-sleeping-ones-too-until-I-know-everything-about-you kind, and it’s the most frightening and most exhilarating realization ever. It happened so slowly, then all of a sudden. Now I’m all in, with only my heart on the line.

I never meant for this to happen, didn’t plan for it, didn’t even want it. It was all supposed to be for fun, to have a great time, but now that it has, I don’t know if I can go back . . . or if I want to. My heart is floating around inside my chest like it’s won the damn life lottery, obviously not receiving the thousands of warning messages from my brain about how this is a terrible idea. The reality of the situation is I have four more nights with Davis, and then we’ll part ways. If I was smart, I’d start distancing myself from him now, a gradual weaning to lessen the blow when he disappears for good.

Almost as if he can hear my warring thoughts, he rubs the tip of his nose up and down the back of my neck, eliciting a deep purr in the back of my throat. “As much as I don’t want to leave either, babe,” he says lowly, “I think the group is ready to head back down and go eat.”

Sighing, I take a final look around from the unrivaled views atop Gros Piton
, knowing one thing is for sure: the impact of today will be something that affects me for a long time to come.

THE TRIP DOWN GROS PITON
is much faster than it was going up . . . and much quieter. I think the time we spent at the peak transformed all of us a little; at least, I know it did me. There aren’t words to properly explain the shift that took place.
I just know now I want more from life than I’ve been getting the last couple of years, more of whatever I just felt standing there with Bristol looking out over the unbelievably beautiful landscape. I wish I could somehow bottle that happiness and keep it with me forever. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen, and the cold truth of the situation is I only have a few days left with her to enjoy whatever this thing we’ve got going on.

After I opened up to her about Emma and the fact I was the reason we were all on that plane to begin with, I was nervous she would look at me differently or be standoffish, but it’s been the exact opposite. Our confiding in each other has only brought us closer, which I’m not so sure is a good thing. It’s only going to make the end of the week that much harder to say goodbye.