Reiner turned to give me a funny look before he shook his head at me disapprovingly.
“You’ll just end up freaking out,” Reiner said knowingly.
“Probably not if we don’t go when it’s super dark. If we go this afternoon, we can watch the sunset and then quickly head back. How’s that for a plan?” I suggested without willing to back down.
“If that’s what you want,” Reiner replied with a smile.
“It’s a done deal,” I declared happily.
“Why do I have a feeling that I’ll be carrying you back?” Reiner muttered but it wasn’t really a complaint.
“I’ll try to walk there by myself on the way there. How’s that?” I proposed.
“Which just means that I’ll have to carry you back,” Reiner replied in sudden realization.
“Do you mind?” I teased.
“…No…” he replied quite seriously.
…
The trek up the hill wasn’t as challenging as I had imagined. Thankfully, the trek resembled more of a walk with a slight incline with steps upwards here and there that I could easily manage. Reiner naturally led the way and held my hand all the way. He half supported and half pulled me up the steep steps when there were any. With his support, the trek became an enjoyable adventure rather than a tiring and laxing task.
“It’s actually very pretty here,” I said in admiration of the surround.
The trees were lush and green and there were wildflowers lining the pathway on the ground. The perfect weather only made the scenery more attractive and serene. The wind blew in my hair and sent it flying over my shoulders. I could hear the sounds of birds chirping in the distance although I couldn’t see the birds themselves.
“Yup. The weather’s nice too. It’s been a very long time since we got to enjoy nature together like this,” Reiner pointed out.
“True. I think the last time was when we went to the cabin in the mountains. It seems like so long ago…” I murmured in agreement as I recalled that trip.
“Watch your step here,” Reiner instructed as he pulled me up by the arm.
“Thank you, R…” I thanked him before smiling up at him.
It didn’t take us much longer for us to arrive at a clearing close to the edge of the cliff. This was probably where the staff mentioned that we could watch the sunrise and the sunset. Since we came up here in the afternoon, we’ll be seeing the sunset instead of the sunrise.
“It’s been a while since we’ve watched a proper sunset together. We did watch the sunset together quite a lot at the beach, though. Being on an island with both the beach and the mountains is surely nice,” I said dreamily.
“Thankfully it is not too hot today,” Reiner with a sigh of relief.
“Shall we sit?” I suggested.
“Tired?” he asked.
“Not really but resting my legs would be ideal…” I replied honestly.
Reiner brought up a lot of things in his backpack. I watched as he took out a large piece of cloth and laid it down on top of the grass.
“Hungry?” Reiner asked.
“Not really. We just ate lunch before we left…” I replied.
Reiner sat down and offered me a hand. I took it and he pulled me down next to him. Automatically, I leaned my head against his arm when I sat down next to him, and he wrapped an arm around my waist.
“This feels so good…just spending time with you like this,” I said lazily before I closed my eyes and took in deep breaths of the fresh air.
“I’ll try to manage my work better so we can go on more trips like this,” Reiner said it like a promise
“Thank you. I would really like that,” I thanked him before I smiled sweetly at him.
He cradled my head as I rested my head on his shoulder. Enjoying the nature around us wordlessly felt so relaxing. Peace like this was hard to come by.
“Shall we?” Reiner asked after a while of resting.
“Where do you want to go?” I asked curiously.
“Just a walk around…” Reiner replied as he got up to his feet.
“Ok…” I murmured.
He offered me his hand and I placed my hand gingerly into his. His hand gripped mine firmly before he pulled me up to my feet with ease. Surprisingly, my legs felt well rested, and I was ready to go on another mini adventure with him.
The trail that led us around the mountain was much easier to follow because it was largely flat. Reiner still held my hand in his as he strolled casually deeper into the forest. The air felt damper than before now that we were in the middle of large trees and greenery. To my surprise, I felt quite calm despite my initial fear of the forest. Maybe I grew up and enough time had passed for me to get over my phobia all together.
Tonight, would be our first night on this trip and I was already looking forward to spending time in bed with Reiner. I felt warmth rush to my cheek, and I must have been blushing at my own dirty thoughts. This was supposed to be a baby-making trip, so it was obvious how we were going to be spending our nights. Although we probably didn’t need the excuse of this baby-making trip for us to be engage in some hot and fulfilling sexual activities like we usually did.
“Natalia…” Reiner murmured my name softly.
My body froze in surprise when I felt his warm breath close to my ear. Was it just me or the way he murmured my name just now sounded so seductive. My body seemed to think that it was seductive because it trembled reflexively. Suddenly, I was very conscious of Reiner’s presence close behind me before he wrapped his strong arms around my body.
This isn’t what I think it is, right?
I mean, we’re in the middle of the forest here and it was broad daylight even if no one was supposed to be around.
–To be continued…