The forest had always felt like mine. Twelve years of hiking these trails, and I’d never once been afraid of what waited beneath the pines.
That Saturday afternoon, I told myself I needed the silence.
What I really needed was to get away from Megan’s voice still ringing in my ears.
“You’re going alone again, Rob? After everything I just said?”
I’d zipped my pack without looking at her. “It’s a trail, Megan. Not a war zone.”
“It’s an unfamiliar trail. There’s a difference.”
“I’ve been hiking since I was 12.”
“And you’ve been reckless since I met you.”
I paused at the door, jaw tight. “I’ll be back before dark.”
“That’s what you always say.”
“Because it’s always true.”
She crossed her arms, eyes glassy in that way that made my chest ache.
“One day it won’t be, Rob. And I’ll be the one calling hospitals.”
“You’re being dramatic.”