"How in the world did you find this place? It took you over an hour to find the café you passed twelve times."

"Well Google helps a little...You should know I would be on the lookout for little known places. Look how many times in Virginia I took you to the middle of nowhere and by the way, I never plotted to kill you any of those times so I don't want to hear another word about it."

"Sorry that did sound a little critical. It's just...beautiful here. I've not really had the time to go around visiting here with school."

"You got the time now?"

"Well...you made me make the time but I'm glad you did."

"And you've only seen the parking lot," said Shawn as he opened his door and stepped out, wishing his limp wasn't always with him; he had tried to get to the other side of the car to open Kelsey's door but was a little too late as she closed her door and looked to him with a small grin.

"Okay Mr. surprises. What else is there?"

"Oh besides the glorious mountain and lake views?"

"If you would've told me we were going into the wilderness I probably could have changed, you know, something without heels."

Shawn bit his lip to withhold his laughter, "They might come in handy if we have to fight off wildlife."

"How hilarious. Cause my heels are really going to stop thousand pound bears."

"And moose."

"I would like to survive until atleast my final exams. Stop walking so fast!"

Shawn stopped, turning to see Kelsey struggling to walk the dirt road.

"They have a visitors center here I'm sure they have some kind of shoes."

"Next "surprise" should be thought through a little more."

"Maybe...but we're almost there. It's that building up there."
"You act like you already know this place."

"I did a little research."

"So it's only a surprise to me?"

"I didn't already come here if that's what you're thinking."

Shawn opened the narrow door to the visitors center, holding it for Kelsey to walk in.

It was dimmer inside without the afternoon sun shining directly on them.

"Let's search for some shoes then a map."

"What all have you planned that we need a map?"

"Well, I don't know about you but I have no cell service here. I don't want to get stuck here all night...well, maybe if we were more prepared."

"No! I have school in the morning!"

"Look at you all grown up being responsible... I guess the girl who loved adventure is gone?"

"Not gone. I didn't suffer all these years trying to stay afloat to ruin it now, so close to graduation. It's not like high school. This is my career I'm working for."

"You know everytime I make a small joke you don't have to answer it with an essay," said Shawn shaking his head.
He was starting to think this was a bad idea. Maybe remembering teenage Kelsey had been his problem all along.
That person didn't exist anymore.

"Oh thank God! Shoes! Shoes!" Squeaked Kelsey, her heels clicking on the wood floor as she scurried off to the left wall.

"Not a very big selection."

"I don't care...holy...no forget it. They're too much," said Kelsey setting the boots back down on the shelf.

"You're not paying for them. Don't worry about it. Make sure they fit and come on. It's my fault for not thinking things through."

"No. I'll just go barefoot."

"Get the damn-" Shawn picked the boots up, "try them on or I'm getting them and whether they're too big or small that's your own fault."

She was obviously sour as Shawn paid, then they walked back to the car briefly to place her heels inside.

"Shawn..."

He could feel a shock of electricity run through his body as her small hand gripped onto his wrist.
He turned around, both wondering why she wasn't ready to follow him away from the car and why her tone was so soft.

"What?"

"I told you I didn't want you to "take me out" to repay me... please...no more."

"... I'm not. One lunch and a pair of shoes? Sorry, I didn't think things through about walking."

"I know you're up to more. I feel it."

"You don't want to be here with me so you?"

"What? Oh God. Don't even start that. That's not what I meant at all," Kelsey sighed, releasing her grip on his wrist.

"Well...are you ready then?"

"Lead the way. I know you're not going to let me in on your little secrets."

"It's just a short walk to find out."

Even with doubts and Kelsey's words swirling around in his mind, he tried to focus on the steps ahead of him.

He had put too much effort into all this to just quit now.

He wanted to...really bad.

None of this seemed to be going right. All she thought he was doing was paying her back for all she's done? This might have been a little true but mostly he wanted this planned out..."date?" to see if there would ever be a chance at them again.

Shawn felt like he already knew the answer.

His anxiety told him he should say screw this! Get in the car and go home. He was wasting his time. She didn't even like him buying a pair of lousy boots. Why would she appreciate anything he had planned? It wasn't spectacular or anything college boy worthy.

His stomach churned at the thought of what all her last boyfriend done for her.

He was probably rich, mentally stable, and looks pulled from a magazine cover.

"You're quiet...you trying to remember directions again?"

"No. That's why I got a map."

Kelsey giggled, "I thought the map was insurance so we didn't get lost here all night?"

"The biggest reason, yeah. You got something against a guy that actually uses a map?"

"Oh yeah absolutely. You're supposed to be manly, get lost for hours and refuse to ask for directions," Kelsey rolled her eyes.

"We got a time limit. Can't be wasting time getting lost...where are you going? Come down this way. Careful, it's a little steep."

"Oh...okay. I got sturdy footwear now so you're the one that needs to be careful."

"I think I've survived worse than a sloping foot trail."

There wasn't a lot of times he felt embarrassed about his lingering injury but being around Kelsey in situations where he can't run or display young athletic abilities was definitely a time where he looked away to hide his blushing face.

"This is absolutely gorgeous," said Kelsey as they reached the riverside.

"You want to go in?"

"What? Are you crazy?"

"Well...yeah. Didn't you already know that?" grinned Shawn, walking past her but not into the water but up the side of the bank.

"What are you doing?"

"Come on, I thought I was leading."

"You better not throw me in."

"Ugh," he stopped and turned, seeing Kelsey inches away from him, "...Look up there..."

"...Where?"

"There...the...in the water..."

"Someone's boat?"

"Yeah...ours...and by the way it's called a canoe."

"Tell me you didn't buy that."

"What's with you and your obsession with money?" asked Shawn as he turned back around and started walking the short distance to the canoe waiting by the riverside barely a hundred feet away, "But no, I didn't buy it. You can rent them. And it's not expensive, alright."

As they reached the green wooden canoe waiting on them, Shawn looked to Kelsey.

"You really didn't have to do all this."

"It's not a big deal." said Shawn, outreaching his hand.

Slowly Kelsey placed her hand in his as he watched her hold the hem of her dress up and step into the wobbly canoe; he let her hand slip out of his as she sat on the wooden seat on the farther end.

He pushed the canoe off the bank and decided a lot of his plan was not thought out too well; he had to wade through the water after pushing the canoe into the water and hopped inside.

"Glad that was entertaining to you." said Shawn as he noticed Kelsey giggling into her hands.

"I'm sorry. But you did good. It could've been worse. You could've flipped us over."

Shawn pulled the paddles off each side, shaking his head and he steered them further out into the rocky waters.

"You might want to hold off on the praises. I've never controlled one of these things. We could still go under."

"Don't stress me out like that. I'm really not prepared for a swim in this cold water. This isn't Virginia where you can go swimming starting in early April. We're close to the north pole here!"

Shawn smiled as he had reached a spot in the river that was gently pushing them down stream; he set the oars back in their place.

"Well, I'm quite aware of that right now," he said pointing to his pants that were soaked up to his knees.

"Are we going back to buy more clothes?"

"No. It'll dry."

"It'll dry? In sixty degree weather?"

"Yeah, eventually. Needed a little cool down anyways."

Kelsey laughed, "When did you get so optimistic?"

"You must be rubbing off on me."

"I highly doubt that. You never listen to me."

"Oh yeah? I brought you two hours away to ignore you."

"I was joking. Today has been really nice. I know we don't really ever get to spend much time together. All I do is go to school, come home and eat and study for hours."

Shawn shrugged, his eyes unable to keep locked on her like hers was seeming to latch onto him.

"It's important to you. And...you're not going to be in school forever and I'll always be here...I think."

"What's that supposed to mean? Shawn? Look at me."

Reluctantly his eyes looked from the water to her, "Until you get sick of me."

"And exactly what have I done that makes you think I'll get rid of you?"

"I don't know. You just got everything going for you...You might meet someone one day and decide you don't need a roommate."

"Oh stop. You're still treating me like a spoiled little rich girl. I'm going to college and working my butt off for everything "I've got going" for me. You're not disposable to me. I would've never went out of my way to do for someone else like I have for you."

"...I don't know why..."

"Because damnit you're my best friend...you have been since we left that football game together...just don't tell Liz. She'll be really jealous."




© ScarlettFranklin