Did You Hear That?

The clouds are finally over them, shading them from to burning sun. Eleanor takes her shoes and socks off to walk in the dry sand without being irritated.

“Oh! This is still hot!” She says, shifting from one foot to the other. Brian looks back at her with his handsome boyish smile.

“Well, of course dummy. The sun was over us only a few seconds ago.” Even though they have been dating a few months he still couldn’t get used to the fact that she was still extremely new to the area he grew up in. She was what his parent’s called a “city-slicker” but they all loved her just the same. She was so different from all the other people around here. He could actually take her to his favorite places and see the amazed expression and appreciation for the beauty that was there. His favorite places would soon be their favorite places, and he liked it because each time she would think of these mountains it would be memories full of him. Unlike all the other girls around here who remember it as a place they visited with their families, or a place to party at, or a place they once had their first kiss with some other guy.

Eleanor’s experiences were still new and fresh. She was an empty cup and he appreciated her all the more for allowing him of all guys to fill it.

“Come on,” he says, motioning her towards him. She smiles at him before rushing over to him, her brunette curls bouncy against her cheek. He bends over so she can climb onto his back. He walks her over towards the large white rocks where they can sit without hurting her feet.

“See those clouds?” Brian says, pointing up towards the gap in the two mountains.

“Yes,” Eleanor says with a little chuckle.

“You see how they are drooping in between the mountains?”

“Yes,” she says, but she’s not looking at the mountains anymore, but instead at him.

“Well, that means that it’s raining up there.” She looks back at the mountains, thrilled.

“Really? That is so gorgeous,” she says.

“It gets better. The water will run down the mountain and in between all the rocks and it’ll eventually form a creek right in front of us,” Brian says. Eleanor gasps.

“Get out! Really?” She asks.

“It’s my favorite thing to watch. Especially because when we sit right here and look up that way,” he gently touches her chin and moves her head slightly to the right. He can smell her sweet perfume and he begins to wonder if he shouldn’t be so close to her. “When you look right there at that really big rock with a tree branch over it, you’ll be able to see the water coming. It forms a waterfall right there. But as soon as the water comes we gotta ditch. Flash floods are a real thing,” he jokes. She looks at him, admiration in her eyes.

“This is amazing, Brian.” They stare at each other for what seems like a long moment before she swallows and looks away. “You have no idea how much of a relief it is to be here. In the country.”

“It must be. I heard that New York is infested with rats,” Brian says and she laughs.

“Yeah… but I’m not talking about the rats.” They stare at each other again. Brian gets a strong feeling not to say anything and to let her continue. “Back in New York… I dated this guy… he was a real jerk, I just didn’t know it at the time. He was the reason I came to live with my cousin for the summer. I just… wanted to tell you because I don’t want there to be any secrets between us. I really like you. A lot.” She says and they both chuckle. “But I wanted you to know about Derrek before we actually went any further than what we have. So that if you decide you don’t want to get mixed up in my crazed life then you can choose before it’s too late. Before either of us get hurt.”

“I appreciate that,” Brian says. Eleanor smiles and looks away, trying to stealthily wipe a tear away. She hated that it was so hard to talk about Derrek and she hated even worse that Brian sees her crying over talking about him. What if he got the wrong idea and thought that she still loved Derrek? “Hey,” Brian says, touching her shoulder. She sniffs and looks at him. He gives her a comforting smile. “It’s going to take a lot in order to scare me off. I mean you have heard about us country men, haven’t you?” He says and she laughs.

“Oh, yes. I forgot,” she says and he clicks his tongue.

“Shameful,” he teases. They stare at each other for another moment. “So what’s up with this Derrek jerk?” He asks. Eleanor picks a leaf off a nearby bush in order so she didn’t have to meet his eye. It would be easier to talk about Derrek if she didn’t have to look at anyone.

“He was just really angry. Not at first… but later he got really mad at everything. He got really obsessive and started threatening me. He never actually touched me and I thought maybe I could get the real Derrek back but… one might he came home from work and was on one of his rants. He hit me that night.

“I left him. I guess I had known for a long time that I had needed to leave him. But then he started to call me and text me. It wasn’t one of those Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde kind of situations. There was some point in our relationship that he just changed and he was never sweet to me anymore. He wouldn’t leave me alone. Until one night he had broken into my parents’ home, thinking that I was there and he started threatening my parents. They were able to make him leave without having to get the cops involved but after that I decided to come here and get away from it all. I told him that I was leaving New York and I didn’t let him know where or for how long and I had changed my number. I just want to get away from him and forget it all. I don’t ever want to go back to New York.” Brian is quiet for a moment. It’s a lot to comprehend but he does know one thing.

“I don’t want you to go back to New York either,” he says. She looks at him and sees the sincerity in his eyes. He leans in, unsure if this is the right time but he knows that he wants to. What’s the worst thing that could happen if she refused him? He wouldn’t die. “Can I kiss you?” He decides to shoot for it. Eleanor’s lips break into a wide smile. She bites her lip, her cheeks going pink. She nods her head and he smiles. He touches her cheek and slowly leans in when a loud twig snaps. Eleanor gasps and turns her head to look in the trees behind them.

“Did you hear that?”

Finish The End! All readers are welcome to share the way they want to end this story. Message me or send me an email and send me your ending! It can be as short or as long as you would like. I will publish it on Wattpad at Almb40 in bold and italic and give all credit to you!