-Oliver-

As we made our way up the trail to Mount Storm King, Cooper asked where else I'd traveled and what my worst travel story was. When he laughed, it was a deep, rich sound, and I realized I really liked being around him. He was just as friendly as he'd been on the plane, and he was one of those people who knew how to make anyone feel good about themselves. I needed that after Brad's comments and our disagreement this morning.

The trail wound its way up through the trees, and I appreciated being in a shaded forest. San Diego was great, but it wasn't anything like this. As we got closer to the top, there were some views of other mountains and part of the lake, and the trail got rockier. I was hesitant about how the trail narrowed, and I carefully stepped forward, making sure my feet were on solid ground. When I made it over to where Cooper had stopped, I saw him picking up the end of a rope from the ground. The other end was tied to a tree trunk twenty feet up a rocky slope, and then the trail continued past that.

"There is a bit of scrambling to reach the top. Some people climb up without the rope, but it does make it easier to pull yourself up. I like to keep it in my hands in case any of the loose rock slides around under my feet, but it's usually fine. Do you want to go first, or should I?"

"You can go first so I can see what to do."

I watched him make his way up, seeming to walk easily up the rocks as he kept the rope in one hand. When he got to the tree it was tied to, he set it down and waited for me. I picked up my end and held onto it with both hands as I started taking a few steps up. There were small, loose rocks all over, and some of them rolled down behind me as I went up. I didn't like that at all, and we were too high for my comfort.

I felt lightheaded and my hands started shaking. I knew it was probably fine, but what if I stepped wrong and fell? What if the rope broke? My breaths were starting to come faster, and I paused where I was.

Cooper was watching me. "How are you doing?"

I knew I should say something to him, but I couldn't catch my breath. I shook my head.

"I'm coming to you," he said. "I'm going to put a hand on the rope, so you'll feel it move a little."

As Cooper carefully made his way down to me, I looked down at the ground instead of the rock sloping away from me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, stepping down on the rock next to me. "Let's take some deep breaths."

When I trusted myself to speak, I glanced over at him. "Heights aren't my favorite thing. And I feel like I'm going to fall."

"That's my fault. I should have asked about that before bringing you up here. How about you start stepping backward, and I'll guide you."

I looked behind me and took a step down, still holding tightly to the rope.

"I've got you," Cooper assured me. He kept a hand on me at all times, and he was steady and strong. A comforting presence, just like he'd been on the plane. I was happy to reach level ground again.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Don't be sorry. Everyone has turned around on a hike before. It's not a big deal if we don't get to the top."

I still felt embarrassed. "Am I going to be able to do anything else out here, if I can't handle this?"

"Of course! There are tons of hikes that don't require any scrambling or ropes. This is one of the more adventurous short hikes."

"Guess I'm not that adventurous," I said, trying to smile.

"Hey, it's your first time hiking in a place with real mountains. You'll gain confidence the more you hike. It's me who was barreling along without taking that into account." I think he could tell I felt bad, so he gave me a huge hug - the very definition of a bear hug. "We passed a spot on the way up that has similar views to the top. You can get good pictures of Lake Crescent from there."

We backtracked to where we'd first glimpsed the lake, and I was grateful that Cooper was cool about my failure. He acted like chickening out on a hike was completely normal and moved on as if nothing had happened. At the viewpoint, he took pictures of me with the lake in the background.

"What'd you do yesterday?" he asked.

"Brad and I went to the Dungeness Spit."

"The spit is awesome. I love it there. Did you go to the lighthouse?"

I shook my head. "I wanted to, but Brad wasn't up for it. I guess ten miles is far for the first day of vacation."

"It's not a hard ten miles. He works out, right?"

"Yeah, and he runs too. More than me. But he needs a break from his job, so it's not fair for me to push him too much on vacation. I like it so much here that I can see coming back sometime, and I'll make sure to go to the lighthouse then."

"If you want to try again while you're here, I'll gladly do it with you."

I couldn't help but smile at him. He seemed like he was always willing to hang out or help me, and I could tell he was that way with everyone. He had a smile and a greeting for everyone we passed on the trail, and he'd spent a few minutes giving another hiker some trail recommendations on the way up. He was so easy to be around, and I didn't want my time with him to end when we finished the hike.

"Do you want to get food with me after we're done?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'd love to," he replied, his face lighting up.

-

We ended up at a barbeque restaurant in Port Angeles. It had a more casual vibe, and I was happy to see that the prices were all reasonable. Cooper gave me some recommendations on what to order without even looking at the menu.

"You come here a lot?" I teased.

He smiled back. "It's one of my favorites. And Port Angeles has more food options than Forks."

Once we put in our orders, I glanced at his left forearm. "Do you have more tattoos?"

"Nope, just these two." He traced his fingers over the mountains rising from a forest of evergreen trees, and then down to an anchor below them. "They're probably cliché, but I love where I live and what I do. I got the trees and mountains just after high school, and then the anchor after I'd been deep sea fishing for a year. Do you have any?"

I shook my head. "There hasn't been anything I've loved enough to put on my body permanently, and I guess it's just not my style anyway."

He grinned. "Doesn't go with your clean cut look?"

I gave him a playful shove. "I like my clean cut look."

"It fits with southern California. Did you grow up in San Diego?"

"Yeah. Never thought of moving anywhere else, but every once in a while I wonder what it'd be like to live somewhere different."

"Do you have family keeping you around?"

"My parents are still there, but we're not very close. I'm an only child and they were disappointed when I came out. My mom saw me with a wife and kids, and when she found out that wasn't happening she was upset."

Cooper leaned back in his chair. "I'm sorry. That sounds tough."

"It's okay. I see my parents at Christmas and a few other times throughout the year, so at least we have some kind of relationship." I smiled at him. "It sounds like you're close with your family?"

"I wouldn't dream of moving away from them. My dad is my best friend and I adore my mom and little sister. We usually bake together when I'm at the house and I'm getting pretty good."

For some reason, I didn't have any trouble picturing Cooper baking. He seemed confident, easy-going, and secure in who he was. It was no surprise he was close with his family.

"How old is your sister?"

"She's ten. She was a total surprise since she came along almost two decades after me, but she's awesome. My favorite person in the world." He grabbed his phone and pulled up a picture of him with a little redheaded girl. "This is Annabelle."

"She's cute. I love her freckles," I told him, smiling softly at the picture. It was obvious how much Cooper loved her. "You mentioned working with your dad and brother?" I asked. "Is your brother younger too?"

"No, Rhett is older." He swiped to another picture of him standing with a dark-haired, bearded man. The resemblance between them was clear. "I love him, but we're not as close as I'd like to be. He's the only one in my family who doesn't approve of me, if you know what I mean."

I looked up at him and saw his smile had faded a little. "He's homophobic?"

"I'm not sure I'd say that. But he doesn't understand it, and I think sometimes he worries about me. The industries we work in are really stereotypically masculine and not always in a good way."

"Have you had problems?"

"A few. Attitudes are changing though, and some of the older guys have come around once they got to know me." He shook his head. "Anyway, that got heavy. How's your food?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Amazing. You were spot on with all of your recommendations."

We focused more on our food after that, and the conversation with him was easy. He was easy to be around in general, and I found myself feeling lucky I had met him on the plane.

When the waitress set the bill down on the table, Cooper got out his wallet and handed the waitress his credit card before she could walk away.

"Wait, don't take his card," I said, scrambling for my wallet.

Cooper smiled at the waitress. "Don't listen to him. I got it."

As she walked away, I stared at him. "You didn't have to do that."

"It's not a big deal."

"But I should have bought your meal since you drove all the way out here to hike with me."

Cooper shook his head. "Nah, I love any reason to get outdoors and make new friends."

"Are you sure I can't give you some money? You just finished a job and you're not even working right now."

Cooper grinned. "Oliver, what do you think we do all day when we're out on fishing jobs?"

"Um...fish?"

"Yes, but the point is, we're stuck on the ships and we don't have the opportunity to spend what we earn. When I'm done with a job, I have four months of pay waiting for me. Those of us who are smart put some in savings and keep the rest for living expenses until our next job, but even then there's enough left over for fun. So don't worry about it."

I still wasn't sure, and it must have shown on my face.

"Look," Cooper said. "I don't want to talk shit about your relationship, but not every guy is like Brad. Some guys actually want to treat their boyfriends, or provide for them, or help them out when they need it. Not everyone's a selfish, stingy asshole."

I didn't know what to say. After years of struggling with Brad, I didn't know how to process someone wanting to pay for me. And Cooper wasn't even dating me. He was a stranger who was quickly becoming a friend.

"Thank you," I finally said. "That was really kind, and I do appreciate it. And I appreciate you hiking with me today and showing me something new. I had a lot of fun."

"So did I," Cooper replied, a soft smile on his face.

When we walked out of the restaurant, I stopped on the sidewalk. "Let's keep in touch, okay?"

"Of course. Have fun on the rest of your trip, and don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything."

I gave him a hug, and then made my way back to the hotel, happy that my day had turned out great after all.