Aria

On Saturday, I drive up to Leo's place after work. Just like he said it would be, it's stifling hot and the sky is crystal clear, making it perfect for our hike today. I don't know how hard this hike is or where we're going exactly, but I'm looking forward to it. It's been a while since Leo and I went hiking. I know I'm probably going to be doing the majority of the talking, as usual, but I don't mind. Leo seems to enjoy it. At least, I think he does. I think he likes having someone that continues on the conversation when he's got nothing more to add. 

At the front door, I knock several times before I decide to let myself inside, kicking off my shoes and sliding them under the bench. The kitchen is empty, as is the living room, and just as I'm about to go and check the venue, I hear laughter float through the house from the back porch. I follow the laugher, coming to a spectacular view of the backyard and mountains, as well as Leo and his family. They're all sitting around the glass patio table. Eliza and Tenille are in the middle of some card game. Leo is standing at the corner, making comments about how much Tenille sucks at shuffling. 

"Leo Sangster," she scolds. "You better watch your mouth. You are staying at my house for the summer; I could kick you out."

Leo ruffles Tenille's hair. "But you wouldn't because you love me too much."

Tenille pushes him away, shooting a look at Eliza. "It worries me when he acts like this. He sounds too much like his father."

I lean against the entryway, a small smile on my lips. I know it's rude to eavesdrop on people, but I enjoy watching them interact about as much as I enjoy watching my family interact. In several ways, my family and Leo's family are very similar to one another. Whenever my family gets together, the happiness radiates off of everyone and you can't help but smile along with them. But with Leo's family, the happiness practically bleeds from them. And I think it's because they're so closely knitted to each other. Sharing a loss has brought them together in a way that I hope my family won't have to experience for a very long time. It makes me admire Leo and his family even more.

"Well," I input, smiling as they all turn to look at me. "He nearly looks like Leon's doppelganger, from the pictures I've seen, so I wouldn't, personally, be surprised if he were anything like his dad."

"Aria," Eliza says, rushing over to hug me. 

Although my family is very huggy, I'm still slightly taken aback by being hugged by my boyfriend's mom. Before finding Leo, I had been terrified of meeting any potential boyfriends' parents. I always thought they would act indifferent towards me due to my reputation, or even persuade their son to date me in order to gain fame.  But I know I don't have to worry about any of that with Leo or his family. 

Smiling, I hug her back. "It's so good to see all of you again," I say. "We'll all have to schedule in some time together again. Maybe make some more soap. My mom loves it, by the way." Eliza and I break the hug, and I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "So does my dad," I continue, lowering my voice. "But he continues to deny it. I think he's worried about how his love for creamsicle-scented soap will harm his masculinity."

The corners of Eliza's eyes crinkle as she smiles back at me. Now that she knows about Leo and I, I feel more relaxed around her; there's no longer a big secret that I have to keep from her. Everything is out on the table. "I was just thinking that. What would your family think about coming over for dinner one night? And that's not the first time I've had a male figure worry about his masculinity." She glances at Tenille, a small smile on her lips. "Remember the picture you have of Leon in that God-awful apron when he helped you and Serena make soap?"

Tenille snorts. "I don't think it harmed his masculinity, Eliza. I think it only emphasized it."

"Very true," Eliza chuckles, turning her attention back to me. "So, what do you think? Your brother could tag along, too."

I glance at Leo, wondering if he and Eliza have discussed these potential plans. I know how Leo feels about crowds and socializing. However, instead of looking uneasy, he looks content. He also gives me a thumbs-up, and I can't help but feel somewhat proud of him. We've only been together for a couple of weeks now, but I'm happy to see him slowly easing his way out of his shell. Yes, he has familiarity on his side, but he doesn't know my parents that well. 

My gaze flicks back to Eliza's. "I think," I smile. "They would love that. Thank you so much for the invitation. I'll try and figure out a date that works for them after the hike today. I think any day will work, but I'll double-check that. They've been doing a lot of hiking and day-trips themselves, and I wouldn't want to intrude on their plants."

"Perfect," she smiles. "Now you two run along. I've given Leo descriptive directions to the cliffs, but I don't guarantee that he won't get you lost at some point. He tends to wander a lot."

"What can I say?" Leo drawls, adjusting the straps of his backpack, a lopsided grin on his face. "I like to explore."

He looks directly at me when he says that, causing my stomach muscles to clench. It's a very lust-based look, one that makes me think he's using an innuendo to hint at something else entirely. "We should get going," I pipe up. "It's already stifling, and I don't want to get caught hiking at three o'clock. My tank top is already sticking to my body."

"Honey," Tenille says, shaking her head. "That tank top is going to be soaked by the time you make it to the lake, trust me. I'm hoping you wore some high-quality hiking boots."

I jerk my thumb over my shoulder as I wiggle my toes in the wool socks I'm wearing. My feet are sweating like a bugger, but I'm using an old pair of Benn's hiking boots and I need these socks or else my feet don't fit; he's about a half a size bigger than me in the shoe department. "They're waiting for me at the front door. Leo warned me that this was going to be difficult."

"Correction," Leo pipes up. He holds one finger up as he walks towards me, empty water bottle in hand. "I said it was going to be difficult for me. I've seen the training you do, Aria. This is going to be nothing for you. A walk in the freaking park."

I give him my best smile. He's one-hundred per cent right about that one. I'm going to sweat like crazy during this hike, but it's going to be easy for me. I'm in the best shape a woman could possibly be in. "Don't worry," I tease, bumping my shoulder against his. "I'll carry you if the time ever comes."

Although the corner of his mouth is quirked upward, he still mutters, "That might come sooner than you think." Then, bumping his shoulder against mine, he walks past me and into the house to fill up his water bottle. 

When Leo is out of earshot, Eliza begins talking again. "Trust me, Aria," she chuckles. "You are not going to need to carry him. That boy is a health nut and will be able to keep up to you. He just doesn't like to brag."

I think back to the first time we discussed his golf scholarship and how humble he was about it. "I know," I reply. "I've already experienced a situation similar to this one, when he told me about his scholarship. However, the other night when we were playing washers, he did tell me he would kick my ass at a game of golf. That being said, I would carry him if he needed it."

Eliza's green eyes twinkle as she smiles at me. "I know you would."

Her sentence silences me for some reason. Maybe it's because it signifies she actually likes me more than I was giving her credit for. In a sense, it almost symbolizes trust. 

A small smile finds its way across my lips. 

"So," Leo says, stepping back onto the porch. He has his water bottle in one hand and my hiking boots in the other. "Are we ready to go?"

I level my gaze with his and slowly nod my head. "Yes," I reply. "Let's do this."

*  *  *

Even with my excellent physique, the latter half of the trail is difficult to ascend. It's entirely safe, but the steepness is bewildering. I almost feel like I should have a harness or something to catch me in case I fall. I'm drenched in sweat by the time we make it to the top, my hair sticking to my forehead and my grey tank top soaked with sweat marks. 

But the sweat is worth it because the view is utterly spectacular. The water below us, the water we're going to be jumping into, is blue-green and crystal clear, stretching for kilometres. Aside from one bland area of grey rock, there are no beaches, just an endless amount of pine and cedar trees outlining the body of water. And, in the distance, are the iconic snow-capped mountains that look as though their peaks have been dipped in icing sugar. It's breathtaking. It makes me feel alive and free, almost as if I'm on top of the world. 

"I can't believe this," I say, my gaze still taking in every little detail it possibly can. I want to imprint this view into my mind and take millions of pictures. I want to live here. This has to be the most beautiful place I've ever been to in Canada. The world. "It's stunning."

"I know," Leo replies, his voice equally as soft as mine. I can hear him rustling around the pocket of his backpack for the bucket list, but I'm still too engrossed in the view to care. "Mom has pictures of this place, but even they don't do it justice."

Finally, I manage to tear my gaze away from the view and look at Leo. He has the bucket list out now, the weathered piece of paper that's beginning to turn yellow, and there's a pen in his hand. I watch as he eases the pen halfway across the listed item. He then pauses and holds it out to me, along with the bucket list. 

"What are you doing?" I frown.

"You did the same amount of work I did getting up here," he replies. "I think you should finish crossing it out. We did this together, Aria."

"Are you sure?" I ask. "You wanted to finish this for your dad. I'm just a tagalong." 

He shakes his head, a bead of sweat dripping down his temple. "We're partners in this. And...and I think my dad would be happy I decided to not do this alone."

Hesitantly, I take the paper and pen from him, briefly allowing my eyes to skim over the list. It's fairly short, to be honest, but it's not like life gave Leon a chance to fill out everything he wanted to do. It saddens me in the slightest way, but at least this list isn't going to waste. At least we're doing something about it. 

Pen in hand, I finish the line Leo has begun to draw, crossing out the cliff jumping item. I then hand the paper and pen back to Leo, who proceeds to carefully place them back in the backpack. 

For the next few minutes, we spend our time discarding our belongings and stripping down to our bathing suits. I'm not self-conscious about my body as I remove my sweaty clothes, but I can feel Leo's eyes on me as he waits. It's enjoyable, having his attention focused solely on me, but as soon as I straighten my posture and look at him, he quickly glances away and tells me to come and check out the drop to the water. 

I follow him to the edge, stopping just shy of it. The drop is fairly high but not so high that I think we're completely insane doing this. A rush of adrenaline saturates my blood the longer I look at it. I glance at Leo, who is focused on something else. 

"That's funny," Leo says, rubbing the back of his sunburnt neck. "I don't remember Mom, Aunty Tenille, and Kit mentioning anything about no trespassing signs."

I follow his gaze to the sign. It's located just to the right of us, nailed into the trunk of a tree. "Well," I say, "we did jump a fence to get here. Technically, we are trespassing."

Leo glances at me. "If we get caught up here, we don't speak English. Do you know any French?"

I shake my head. Aside from a few words I picked up here and there, I don't know a lot of French. "I took Spanish in high school. Besides, if a conservation officer is up here, he'll know French, won't he? If you work for the government in Canada, you need to know French."

"True," Leo replies rubbing the stubble along his jaw. "I guess we resort to running, then?"

"Well," I laugh, "it is all downhill from here. I think we could do it."

"Okay," he smiles, holding his hand out to me. "Now that we have a plan, are you ready to jump?"

I take a step forward, my toes hanging from the edge, and take his hand in mine, lacing our fingers together. "Most definitely," I reply.

Leo's gaze meets mine again. "Three?"

"Two," I reply, slightly bending my knees. 

Leo's hand tightens around mine. "One."

I don't hear much after he finishes the countdown. One moment, my feet are balanced on the hard rock and the next, the wind is rushing upwards and I'm free-falling. Screaming and laughing as Leo and I fall towards the water, adrenaline replacing the blood in my veins. 

I've never felt anything like this before. Anything so...so...so free. So real. 

And when we hit the ice-cold water, a great refresher after such a long hike, all I can think about when I break the surface, water dripping down my face, is jumping again and again, with Leo holding my hand. 

Wishing that I could put this day on repeat for the rest of my life.