A/N That song fits so perfectly to Zach's POV in that case. If you like to, listen to it and maybe let me know if you feel the same. (:

Zach's POV

Fucking shit, am I nervous.

It's five in the morning, a time where I usually sleep like a fucking log, and I'm packing Jake's car for what I've planned today. Honestly, I'm surprised he lent me his holy Mercedes again. Especially for the longer ride. He told me he starts to get pissed by my moods, and I should finally get my shit together. The past five weeks, I noticed what a good friend Jake is, and I seriously have no idea why I broke off contact with him in the first place. I'm just glad he doesn't hold it against me.

Before I head back upstairs to cook some coffee for our car ride, and as I know Olivia, we will need loads of it, I quickly check if I have thought of everything.

It's shortly after half past five when I stop the car in front of Olivia's house. I know I'm way to early, and she will probably kill me for that, but I just couldn't wait any longer. I'm so fucking excited for this day and I want it to be perfect. It has to be perfect. This time, I can't fuck it up. God was I happy when she agreed to give me this chance. I felt like a little boy receiving his Christmas gift. And when she let me kiss her cheek, I swear, my whole body was fucking electrified. Because of a cheek kiss. Jesus, I behave like a lost puppy, really.

With a nervously shaking leg, I stay in the car for a few minutes until I can't wait any longer and head upstairs. After ringing the doorbell twice, Liv's sleepy face appears in the door frame and glares at me.

"You're fucking early!" she growls and turns around to return into her bedroom.

I follow her and chuckle as she plumps down on her bed and buries her face in the bedding.

"Come on, get ready. We have a long car ride ahead of us." Without thinking, I reach for her arm and pull her up causing her to stumble right into my chest. Our eyes meet, and for a moment, we stare at each other before Liv looks down at the place where my hands connect with her arms to steady her and she swallows.

"Sorry," I mumble and quickly pull away

"It's okay. Give me five minutes. I'll take a quick shower."

With a shy smile, she vanishes into her bathroom. Less than ten minutes later, she reappears fully dressed and with her caramel brown hair tied back in a low ponytail. What catches my eyes right away are the olive-green, skin-tight sports leggings she's wearing. Holy fuck! How am I supposed to focus on anything other than that perfect, cute ass in those pants today?

"We can leave now," she states with raised eyebrows as she notices my lingering gaze on her.

I awkwardly scratch my head and smile. My cheeks are probably even a bit flushed right now.

"Sure. Maybe, pack something casual to change into for later."

Ten minutes later, we're both in Jake's car and I hand Liv the takeaway cup filled with fresh coffee I prepared for her.

"Ah, thanks. That's exactly what I need right now!" She takes a generous sip and closes her eyes while a soft moan escapes her lips. I quickly look away. Why is everything about that woman so fucking sexy even though I'm sure she doesn't even try to be?

With a head-shake, I start the engine and start driving towards the Trans Canada highway. It's still dark as the sun hasn't risen yet, but the sky is clear, so I am optimistic we will have great weather today.

"Are you going to tell me now where we're heading that I had to get up so damn early?" Liv is sitting on the passenger seat with her knees bent and faces me while leaning her head against the headrest.

Only seeing her like this, sitting here next to me totally relaxed, puts a smile on my face.

"We're making a small hike, that's all I'll say."

Olivia pouts but I don't miss the little smile passing over her face.

"A hike? In the middle of the night?" she asks doubtingly.

"This is all for a reason. And now stop fussing. Take a little nap if you want. We're going to be on the move for more than an hour."

We make a little bit of small talk before Liv dozes off and sleeps nearly throughout the whole drive. From time to time, I peek at her and adore her beautiful and peaceful face. I can't wait to see her reaction to the place I'm going to show her first. The whole day is mapped out and I plan on enjoying every single second of it. Just spending time with her makes the day special for me and I'm thankful that she agreed giving me this day.

A little after 7am, I park the car and turn off the engine, before I softly squeeze Olivia's hand.

"Hey, sleepyhead. We're here."

Liv blinks bleary-eyed and stretches herself. Her slightly grumpy morning mood seems to have vanished and she curiously looks out of the window. It's a half an hour walk to the spot I wanna show her and in the glowing light of the dawn, it is going to be beautiful and peaceful.

I jump out of the car and walk over to open the door for Olivia.

"Grassi Lakes?" Liv asks in surprise as she spots the signpost close to us. "Oh my god, I've never been here, but I always wanted to!"

I smile at her excitement. Seems like I've picked out the right place then. I was hoping she would love it here, just like I do.

"Put on your jacket and beanie. It's freezing out here!" The temperatures in February are still below zero, so I packed two blankets and a big thermos full of hopefully still hot coffee to warm us up once we reach our final destination.

Fully packed with my big backpack and covered with our thick jackets, we leave Jake's car behind. The trail we're taking is mainly uphill but not too steep, so it's not dangerous and we can still talk while walking.

"Why did you pick this place?" Liv asks. Her cheeks are rosy from the frosty winter air and the light blue beanie she's wearing brings out the grey-blue color of her bright eyes.

"Jake's family often used to come here and I was allowed to come along whenever I wanted." I give her an excited smile. "Just wait for the spot I'm going to show you! It's damn beautiful."

"My mom never went hiking with us. She used to tell us that's just not our thing, even though Jude and I always loved being in nature," Liv tells me with a giggle. The talking between us gets more casual by the minute and I enjoy having her with me. So much, I can't even describe the happiness I feel in that moment.

The morning becomes brighter and brighter the longer we are on the way, and shortly before eight, we arrive at the wooden bench I know so well from my youth. Thankfully, we seem to be the only people out here so far and therefor have the place all to ourselves.

"Oh my god!" Liv gasps as she takes in the surrounding. "This place is much more beautiful in person than in any photo I've ever seen of it!"

A big smile covers my face and I nod while spreading one of the blankets over the bench. "Right? Come, have a seat with me!"

Liv gives me a sheepish smile and sits down next to me. I wrap the second blanket around her shoulders to make sure she won't be cold and then pour each of us a mug full of the still steaming coffee.

"Now wait and watch!" I point towards the horizon on the far side of the turquoise lake which is right in front of us. Behind the mountains, the sun rises already and the first rays of sunshine start to enlighten the full magic of this place.

"I think this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!" Liv breathes and takes a sip of her coffee.

I watch as the different shades of orange and rose are reflected in her eyes, and sigh deeply. "Yea. Me too."

She must have sensed my gaze on her because she turns towards me with a shy smile. A slight trembling goes through her body, causing me to frown.

"Are you cold?"

"A little bit," she admits quietly.

I hesitate for a moment before I scoot closer. Until now, I made sure to keep some distance between us to give her the space she needs, but I don't want her to catch a cold.

"May I?" I cautiously lift my arm, asking her if it's okay to wrap it around her shoulder.

Liv eyes me warily but then nods barely visible. I feel her body tensing as soon as we touch, but when I start rubbing her arm, she relaxes again. God, this feeling of her body against mine is the best I had in a long time. Even though we're covered in our thick jackets, I feel an excited shiver running down my spine and catch myself wondering if Olivia feels the same.

"Thanks for bringing me here," she whispers after a few minutes without taking her eyes from the now bright sky.

"Thanks for coming with me, Liv," I retort softly and can't help the broad smile on my face. Since today started off so well already, I have high hopes in the rest of the day.

"Hungry?" I ask after a few minutes.

"Actually, yes. Why? Don't say you even brought some breakfast?" Liv gives me an amused smirk and when I nod with a smug grin she giggles.

"Nothing special, only sandwiches, but I thought after getting up that early and doing that hike you could use something to fill your stomach." I reach for my backpack and get the lunchbox out of it. "Besides, I noticed you've lost some weight."

Liv frowns but remains silent. We scarf down all the sandwiches and then decide to head back since it's getting unbearably cold.

"So, what's next?" Liv asks as soon as we're back in the car and I turned on the seat heating.

"Won't tell. But you might want to get changed beforehand."

I need to turn around and promise her I won't peep while she's peeling out of her winter clothing. Her shyness is ever so adorable and kind of funny. I mean, I've seen her naked body from many different angles, and I told her countless times before how perfect she is for me. Not only her body. Her whole being is made for me. I haven't felt a similar warmth and closeness to any person before. How could I be so damn stupid to leave her? The only woman I ever loved in my life. Maybe all the bullshit we went through happened for a reason. Maybe it happened just to bring two souls together which are tied to each other.

"I'm all done. You can turn around again now."

I chuckle and eye her for a quick moment. She changed into simple blue jeans and a checked light brown flannel shirt. Casual and so Olivia-like.

The drive back into the city of Calgary is fun and over way too soon. Even though the long car ride tired me a bit, I could drive around and talk to the girl next to me for hours non-stop. When I drive into the parkade which is connected with the Calgary Tower, Liv's eyes widen.

"Zach, I don't know if I ever told you, but I'm fucking afraid of heights. Please don't tell me you want to go up there?!" She looks at me with horror in her face and I can't help but chuckle.

"Liv, you know that plane we took to Vancouver was much higher up, right? Back then, you didn't seem scared at all," I point out.

"Yea, I'm not afraid of flying, but standing on a platform in I don't know how many meters of height, it feels different and scares the shit out of me."

"It's nearly 200 meters high," I tell her with a wink, but then add with a more serious voice, "Look, we don't need to go up there. I just thought it would be nice to have lunch here. The food is great, at least that's what Jake told me, and the view is amazing, but if you're scared, I'm sure we'll find something else," I say with a shrug and grab my phone. "Let me cancel the reservation real quick."

"Wait!"

I look at Liv who seems to have an internal battle right now and chews nervously on her bottom lip while fumbling with her fingers.

"I'll try, okay?"

"Are you sure? I don't want you to shit your pants up there!" I tease her and earn an eye-roll and a giggle from Olivia.

"Don't worry, I won't!"

We get out of the car and walk over to the elevator which goes straight up to the top of the Calgary Tower. When the elevator door opens, Olivia makes no move to walk out.

"Are you coming?" I ask with a smirk on my face.

Liv takes a deep breath before nodding and following me. The tower is encircled of windows, and even the floor at the edge is fully made out of glass.

"Zach, I can't step on that glass. Please. The thought alone is killing me."

I offer her my hand and smile encouragingly. "Come on. That's the best part of it."

It takes her a few minutes until she hesitantly grabs my hand and lets me pull her towards the edge. The moment we step on the glassy floor, she closes her eyes and digs her nails into my hand. Is it weird that I really enjoy her tight grip? It definitely is, but I can't help it, it feels fucking amazing holding her hand in mine again.

I gently push her forwards and place her hands on the handrail before I step beside her and rest my hand on her back.

"Open your eyes, Olivia," I order softly and watch her going pale in less then a second when she does.

"Oh my fucking shit!" she gasps, and her knuckles already turn white because of her firm grip around the handrail. "Fuck, No!"

"Relax. Just take a look at the view. Isn't it beautiful?" I try to calm her down, but she just stares out of the window and seems to have stopped breathing.

"Zach, I can't move. I..." She shuts her eyes very tightly again and I feel her body shivering under my palm.

"Hey. Calm down. Come here!" I step behind her and cautiously wrap my arms around her trembling body. Hopefully, she won't see this as an attempt to get closer to her, but I don't know what else to do in that moment. Relief washes over me as I feel her slightly leaning into me in an instant.

"Okay, I'll take another look now," she breathes. I peek over her shoulder to see her face and a soft laugh escapes my throat. Olivia is squinting her eyes as if the light were too bright for her.

"And? Better now?"

She shoots me a doubting glance. "Does it look better?"

"Well..." I chuckle lightly. "No, not really. Take one last proper look. You can do it, come on!"

She does and this time with her eyes fully opened. The longer she takes in the sight in front of us, the more she relaxes, and I nearly gasp when she fully leans back and rests her head against my chest. I even feel fucking butterflies going crazy in my stomach and I'm pretty sure Liv can feel my heart thumping wildly.

Haltingly, I slightly tighten my grip around her and rest my head on her hair. Fuck, I missed this feeling of holding her into my arms so damn much. Liv's heavenly sweet scent embraces me and makes my mind dizzy. I need to close my eyes at the intensity of this moment. I don't know for how long we stay like this, but far too early Liv pulls away and turns around. I frown as I spot tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" I ask softly, searching her eyes.

Olivia smiles faintly and shakes her head. "Nothing. I'm a bit overwhelmed by this situation, that's all."

I exhale with relief and return her smile. "I'm proud of you, Livie! You just got past your fear."

"I guess, I did, yea. Thanks for helping me though. I think, without you I wouldn't even have left the elevator." She giggles and then looks around with her renewed energy. "Wanna grab something to eat? I'm starving."

"Sure. I reserved a table at the restaurant up here. Come on."

We make our way to the quite fancy restaurant. Should've known that Jake would recommend something like that. However, the view is amazing, and the food is delicious as well. Olivia and I spend the whole lunch with conversations about anything and everything. Somehow, it feels like the time we met, and our feelings were still fresh. Even I am nervous every time Olivia shoots me a shy smile or look.

Time flies, and by the time we return to Jake's car it's already getting dark again.

"I really enjoyed this day. Thank you!" Liv states and looks at me while I'm driving out of the parkade.

"I'm glad. I enjoyed it too," I retort and then add with a cautious glance at her, "Actually, I have one final thing planned for tonight."

I wait for a reaction, but when Liv just shoots me a questioning look, I speak on. "It's at my place, but it's cool if you don't want to."

"No, I promised you one day, so I'm in for the whole program."

Admittedly, her words hurt a little bit since they sound like it was our last day together.

"Fine!" I remark with a big smile after deciding to push my doubts to the very back of my head. Even if Olivia decides against us after tonight, I still want to enjoy every minute with her.

The drive back to my place is silent, but inside, I nearly freak out when I think of what I've arranged in my apartment. I hope Olivia likes it and it's not too much.

*****

Oh, I loved writing this chapter soo much. Hope you enjoyed it as well.🤍

I decided to bring some bits of the city of Calgary into the story (even if I've never been there myself lol) Did you like it?🌇🏔

I'll add some pictures below, so you can see the Grassi Lakes and the view from Calgary Tower. (I don't own those pictures)

What do you think about the day so far? Did you like the things Zach has planned? Any idea what he has arranged at his place for the evening? I'm curious to hear your guesses.😁

I would also be very interested to know your opinion on their current dealing with each other. Does it seem believable to you?🤔

So, enough with the questioning! Next chapter will be Olivia's POV again.🤭

Please don't forget to vote and comment.🦋

Katie🤍