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“So,” Elain said, trying to catch her breath as she put one foot in front of the other. Chilled air invading her lungs. “This is what you do for fun?”
She vaguely registered Azriel’s chuckle as he hiked in front of her, undoubtedly slowly down his pace to accommodate her, and occasionally grabbing hold of a branch to lift it above her head or moving debris out of her way.
“Not enjoying yourself?” Azriel asked in a low voice, not bothering to hide his amusement. It irked Elain to know that he wasn’t nearly as winded as she was — not that he should be. Azriel practically lived outdoors, and Elain never ventured very far from her garden. Or Velaris. In theory she loved the idea of a hike, but she always found herself drawn more to the comforts of the outdoors: her garden, a cozy fire in the autumn evenings, a stroll through the city. And she knew, logically, that the views from wherever they’re going will be picturesque…but she didn’t understand why they couldn’t take a car to get there.
“I’m enjoying myself some,” Elain said, stepping over a tree root that wanted to trip her, and accepting the hand that Azriel offered her. “I would just be enjoying myself more if I could breathe.”
Azriel laughed at that and dropped her hand — Elain immediately found herself missing its warmth, and she didn’t want to dwell too long on the fact that her hand felt empty without his.
“We’re almost there, El.” Azriel smiled and shook his head, continuing to take long strides up the hill.
“You know,” Elain said, following in his footsteps. “My legs are way smaller than yours, so I’m pretty sure that means I’m taking double the amount of steps that you are, and obviously I’m working way harder than you. Which is why I’m out of breath and you’re not.”
Elain looked up long enough to see his shoulders jumping up and down as he tried to stifle his laughter, and Elain glared at his back.
The only reason she rolled out of bed at four this morning was because of Azriel. If anybody else wanted her to go trekking up some hill on a cold November morning she would have laughed in their face — she would have apologized after the fact, but she would have laughed.
But Azriel wasn’t anybody. He was her best friend.
Everyone close to her knew that she wasn’t the nicest in the morning, but Azriel had brought Elain her signature Dunkin Donuts order and tied her shoes for her because Elain was too busy nursing her coffee. Her hair was in disarray, unbrushed, as Azriel placed a purple knit cap on her head and wrapped her plaid scarf around her neck. Dressing her because she couldn’t think beyond the piping hot liquid in her hands.
“We’re almost there, Elain,” Azriel repeated, smiling at her over his shoulder, and Elain hated how good he looked in the blue, early morning light. No dark smudges under his eyes. His skin was perfectly even and tanned — not pale and splotchy like hers most likely was.
“If you say so.” Elain mumbled and looked towards the ground, hoping he thought the pink on her cheeks was from the chilled air or her exhaustion and not her body reacting to his beauty.
The only sounds they heard were their feet crunching the leaves on the dirt path they hiked, the birds chirping in the trees, and the heavy pants of Elain’s breathing. Azriel was weirdly stealthy, Elain thought, she didn’t even think she could hear his footfalls on the path.
A gust of wind rustled the leaves on the trees, and Elain hugged her sweatshirts closer into her body. Technically, it was Azriel’s sweatshirt. One that he had left at her apartment years ago and Elain had laid claim on it — he smiled every time she wore it.
Azriel, of course, looked completely unaffected by the cold wind.
“We’re almost there.” Azriel said with excitement, and Elain couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
“I’ve heard that before,” Elain hollered up at him (somehow the distance between them grew stronger). “You keep saying those words, and I don’t think it means what you think it means.”
This time Azriel gave a full belly laugh, disturbing the early morning serenity of the woods.
“You almost got that quote correct.” Azriel said, smirking from where he stood in the clearing, and Elain stuck her tongue out at him.
“I did pretty well, considering the circumstances.”
“And what circumstances are those?”
“Well, I can’t remember the last time I was up this early —”
“I brought you a coffee —”
Elain held up her hand to stop him and said, “You brought me a medium coffee. Four AM wake up time requires at least an extra large.”
“You never drink coffee that fast,” Azriel said as he grabbed hold of her hand, pulling her up towards him, and stopping her before she ran into his chest. “It would have cooled off.”
“Then we should have stopped and got another cup —”
“Then you would have had to pee—”
“Which I would have done at the restaurant.”
“And if we did drive-through?”
“Then it’s a good thing we’re in the woods,” Elain threw one arm out, gesturing to the scene around them. “With no one to see me. And I know you keep toilet paper in your backpack when you hike.”
“You’d pee in the woods?” Azriel asked, his smile growing on his face and exposing his dimples. His dark hair peeking out from his black knit cap, and little puffs of air misted from his mouth in the cold.
“If I had to.”
“Then you can thank me for saving you from that fate. With a medium coffee.”
Elain narrowed her eyes at him.
“Which leads me to my second point,” She gently poked him in the chest. “You lied about the hike. You said it would be gentle. Beginner, I think, is the word you used, and you somehow neglected the words ‘uphill’ and ‘miles’.”
Crowsfeet formed at his eyes from his smile.
“When we go back it will be downhill.” Azriel said with a cheeky grin and brushed his dark hair out of his eyes, and Elain naturally let her hands move to adjust his beanie.
“You’re lucky I like you, Az.” Elain shook her head with a smile, some golden hair shaking around her face.
“I know,” Azriel said in a voice that was a touch too serious, and something fluttered over his sharp features, but before Elain could pinpoint what it was his hazel eyes looked somewhere over his shoulders. “We’re here.” Azriel said, and brough one hand up to Elain’s shoulders and turned her around.
Her back pressed into his chest, but Elain could barely feel it through the bulk of their sweatshirts.
Azriel spun her with such a force that it took a second for her vision to clear — but once it did she was able to see the brightest golden-orange and most vivid red painted in the sky, practically screaming at her to wake up so she could enjoy it completely.
“Oh,” The sound seeped out of her mouth before she even realized it, and her body relaxed into Azriels. “That’s why you always come here.”
She managed to pull her eyes away from the beauty in front of her, and she wondered if every sunrise was this magical or if Azriel had managed to find the perfect spot for sunrise-watching, and looked over her shoulder at Azriel.
Instead of watching the sunrise, his eyes were focused on her face. And his warm breath ghosted over her chilly cheeks and Elain found herself melting just a bit.
“Do you bring all your girls here?” Elain asked, and she intended it as a joke, but it didn’t come out that way. She said it in a breathless, meek voice.
“No,” Azriel said, looking at her intently. “Just one girl.”
A flush rushed to her cheeks.
“Thank you for bringing me here.” Elain said, finding herself at a crossroads. She could either lean into the desires burning at her skin and press her lips against his, or she could turn and look back at the sun rising over the autumn trees.
She didn’t want her first kiss with Azriel to be marred with stale coffee breath and sweaty-sweatshirts. But she didn’t want to leave his arms just yet. So, she grabbed his hands and used them to wrap his arms around her as she turned back to look at the sunrise.
“I’m cold.” Elain said, even though she felt warm and cozy tucked against his body.
“Then it’s a good thing I’m here.” Azriel said and placed his chin on top of her head.
“Always.” Elain replied, smiling.