Page 29 of Return to Me Always

Maybe, just maybe, we had lucked out, and they were now going to sleep.

Minutes passed, and my groggy mind wondered what time it was. How often had I reached for my phone the past few days with that same question? This craziness was made even weirder by not having a phone. It felt like we had traveled back into a different era, surviving in the wild with no technology.

Tyler kept his arm around me, and I settled back into him, my eyes fighting the battle to stay open, wondering how we could sneak out in the morning.

Chapter Nine

A gentle nudge awoke me, and for one heart-stopping moment, I couldn't remember where I was.

"We should get on," Tyler whispered in the blackness.

As quietly as I could, I sat up and squirmed out of my sleeping bag. The fire had died down to a few embers, making it nearly impossible to see anything, but Tyler helped me put on my shoes which were dry, thank God. After we both gathered up our supplies, Tyler grabbed my hand to help me out the door, where the cold air blasted my face.

"That's the trouble with bothies," Tyler whispered as we were walking away. "Anyone and everyone is welcome."

When we had traveled a safe distance, he stopped to properly store the sleeping bags for the day and rearrange our packs while I helped him. Once we were done, I grabbed my bag at the same time as Tyler. He looked up at me, surprise on his face.

"I got this today," I said.

"All right. Let's see how it goes."

As he helped me put it on, I asked, "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Mm-hmm."

But something told me he hadn't slept very well once that other couple had arrived.

***

The morning was tough with muddy wet trails, but at least it hadn't started raining... yet. Every once in a while, I could actually appreciate the autumn beauty surrounding us, the vibrant colors against the backdrop of the evergreen trees helping to calm me when I had moments of anxiety.

We came upon something called an honesty box where we could pay for some goodies like homemade granola bars and cookies that we devoured. I felt badly we didn't have any money to put in the slot, but Tyler said he'd more than make up for it another time.

After our snack, the path seemed a bit easier. I kept an eye on the loch which appeared to be getting smaller and smaller until it completely disappeared from my sight. And soon, the faint rumble of cars could be heard.

"Is that traffic?" I asked Tyler.

"Aye. The trail runs near a busy road."

As we continued hiking, the noise grew louder. The sudden sound of sirens echoed down the path, causing my heart to pound.

I halted and faced Tyler. "Do you think that's about us?"

"I've no idea," he admitted, shrugging. "But I think it's about time we go off-piste, yeah?"

That didn't exactly sound good. "Um, what's that?"

"You know, off the beaten path. If we stay on this trail, it parallels the road and even crosses it a few times. Plus, we're more likely to run into people. That's not a risk I want to take."

"Me neither," I said, relief flooding me now that the sirens began to fade into the distance.

Tyler's eyes stared into mine. "But this other trail isn't as easy, though. We'll have some steeper ascents."

"I can handle it," I said, trying my best to sound confident.

Tyler simply gave me a nod, and then we were off once again.

Being a hero seemed to come easily to Tyler who wore the stress and lack of sleep effortlessly. No matter how rough the trail became, I vowed to myself that I would keep up and not complain.

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