“So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” She asks
“We are going to float the river.”
Riley sits up straighter, her eyes grow wide, and her mouth gapes open a tiny bit while a smile creeps up the side of her cheek.
“I’ve always wanted to do that.”
“Yeah?” I sit up a little straighter this time, my smile grows wide across my face.
“I have camped by a lot of rivers, and I see people on rafts and inner tubes and can only imagine how relaxing it is.”
“It definitely has its relaxing moments.” I nod my head and relax a little back into the chair.
“So, when are we going?”
“Tomorrow at 11:00. I booked us spots with the local rafting company Big River Rafts. I had thought about grabbing my dad’s inner tubes, but honestly, it’s not the safest. This way we have a guide and life jackets.”
“I’m so excited. Do I need to bring anything? What should I wear?”
“Anything you’re okay getting wet in. I’ll probably wear swim trunks and water shoes.”
“Water shoes…check…bathing suit…check. Are we starting from here?” She points towards the river now glowing in the setting suns light.
WHEN YOU'RE READY
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“Yup. We will meet them over by the entrance, then we get on a bus that will take us to the boat launch area. It’s about a three-hour float, then a thirty-minute ride back here.”
“Have you done this before?” she relaxes into her chair and crosses one leg over the other. Her noticeably short khaki shorts riding higher up her thigh. I follow the path up the rest of her body to her face, which is looking at me with one eyebrow hitched.Caught.
“Uhhh, yeah,” I say pulling my eyes away and running the palm of my hand over the scruff that has grown out over the past couple of days. I rarely let it grow, but after deciding to show Riley around, I felt like I needed a change.
“My buddies and I went our senior year.”
“That’s awesome. I didn’t have a lot of friends in high school.
Was always the loner kid.”
“No?” my voice rising and octave “I never would have guessed.”
“I know right?” she says joking back. We both laugh, but then it falls onto almost silence. The sound of the fire and the rushing river are the only things that are invading our space.
I look over to her, and her perfectly pink lips slide into a smile.
She has freckles that scatter the top of her nose and cheeks that I didn’t really notice before. I might have a sweet spot for freckles.
“You want a beer?” she asks and stands.
“Sure.”
She walks over to the cooler that is sitting at the end of her Jeep and grabs two beers, tossing one to me as she walks back to her seat. Then, it’s like we are old friends. We talk until it’s dark, and
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T. SPEAR
the fire has burned out completely. I tell her about my mom and her “slight” obsession with animals. She tells me about all the places she has been and some of the crazy people she has run into. Talking to her feels so natural.