Chapter 1
I took the trip by myself. Everyone told me that I was silly or stupid for doing it, but it was something I had to do. I booked the flight and the rental car and I rented the cabin. The day of the trip arrived, and my flight touched down right on time. According to the GPS, I had a 2 hour drive. I found a grocery store not far from my destination, and I stopped to get enough stuff to hold me for a week. I made my way to the cabin and put everything away. With the time change, it was only noon.
I decided to go for a walk to explore the area. I found a trail and followed it. I came to a clearing about a mile in. I soon realized that I was not alone. Sitting on a rock with his back to me, sat a man. He had dark curly hair pulled back into a messy bun. He was wearing a blue and white plaid flannel shirt, dark blue, distressed, relaxed fit jeans, and brown hiking boots. I took a step, and a twig snapped. His face turned at the sound, and I found myself looking at the most beautiful profile I had ever seen. His skin had a healthy glow of gold as if kissed by the sun. He had a full dark beard that was pleasantly shaped, if not a tad unruly.
“I..I am sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you," I stammered. He stood up and brushed off his pants. He turned to face me, “You are not disturbing me at all. I just usually don’t run into anyone out here.”
I recognized him immediately and tried not to act like a star-struck idiot. He stepped towards me with an outstretched hand. “I’m Avi Kaplan, and you are?” I took his hand,
“I know. I’m Rae Jennings.”
“Nice to meet you, Rae. What brings you all the way out here?”, he asked, smiling at me.
“I rented a cabin about a mile that way for two weeks.” I replied, pointing my thumb in the direction I had come from. “What brings you out here?”, I asked quietly.
“My family owns a cabin about a mile that way.” He chuckled, gesturing in the opposite direction. “Are you out here alone?”, he asked.
“I am. My friends and family think I’m crazy, but I needed to get away from life and reconnect with myself. I feel like I am taking a page out of your book.”, I word vomited at him.
He chuckled and lightly blushed. “I’m flattered.”, he said, placing his hand on his chest. “You couldn’t have picked a better location. It’s beautiful out here, and quiet.” He held out his hand to me, “Would you like to walk a little further?”, he smiled at me.
I placed my small hand in his larger one and nodded. We followed a trail out of the clearing and wandered slowly for the next half hour. We engaged in polite conversation as we walked along. I learned that he thought I looked familiar and that he recognized me from a private performance at a concert about a year back. He also said that he recognized me from Twitter. It was my turn to blush as he thanked me for my daily quotes and my positivity. He also made mention that I had not been very active in quite some time. I told him that the last six months of my life had been difficult. I told him that my husband had been killed in a car accident by a drunk driver and that two weeks after that, I found out that he had been cheating on me.
“I see why you need the break.”, he said, pulling me into a friendly hug. “I am so sorry for your loss, and I hope this trip helps you find clarity and healing.”
I thanked him and I told him that it was getting easier to talk about as the days went by. We turned around and walked back towards the clearing. He changed the subject by telling me what he had been up to, which was writing and contemplating recording. I told him that I was happy to hear it. I also told him that he was looking good and that in my opinion, healthier than he had in a while. He blushed again and told me that I was not wrong. We reached the clearing and I told him that I should probably head back.
He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. “We should probably exchange numbers since you are out here by yourself and I am so close.”
I pulled out my phone and handed it to him so that he could enter the information. He did the same. He hugged me again and told me to call or text if I needed anything. As I started to walk away, he said my name. “Do you have any plans for dinner?”
I turned to face him. “Nothing set in stone.”, I replied.
“Join me and my family. I’ll pick you up at 6.” It wasn’t a question, more of a statement.
“If It’s not a bother, I would love to.”, I smiled.
“Text me the address of your cabin. I am pretty sure I know which one it is, but just in case.”, he said, winking at me.
“I will.”, I responded back. I felt myself blush and hoped that he didn't notice. He waved saying that he would see me soon. I turned around and took the trail back to my cabin, butterflies in my belly and a smile on my face.
