Under the Night Sky

Chapter 61

When Derek ran out of the inn into the crisp evening air, Meredith's jeep was already pulling off leaving the sound of its screeching tyres trailing behind. Without a second thought he jumped into his own car and followed. He wouldn't let this go now, not when they walked so far. After he poured his heart out, after she had mirrored his actions. There was no other way forward for them other than the path that they would walk together.

He wasn't tailgating her, he was giving her space. He was driving at just a safe distance so as not to lose her. There was little chance he would actually, the two red dots at the rear of her jeep were the only lights piercing the darkness now that they left the town buildings behind them.

After almost a quarter of an hour Derek started to wonder how long they would continue this charade, how far Meredith would go. If it was up to him, he would follow her to the ends of the earth and further. However, he didn't fill up since leaving Las Vegas, he didn't want to get stuck in the desert again. He wasn't sure Meredith would rescue him in her current frame of mind.

But before he began to get seriously anxious, her tail lights began to get bigger, a sign that she had pulled up, and finally they disappeared. He stopped the car following her example and got out. He wasn't really surprised to discover the jeep empty. He heard the sound of footsteps on dry grass and a twig being snapped somewhere in the vicinity. With no hesitation, he left the secure smooth surface of the road to follow the whitish dot of her dress dancing in and out of his field of vision.

Wind pushed the clouds away letting the full moon illuminate the earth. Derek embraced it with relief, he could pick up his pace without the risk of tripping and landing face down on the ground. He was also able to recognize his current location. Even months later, he could easily notice the traces of countless fires, the ashes and charred wood on along his path. It was the spot where they had celebrated the bonfire night. He was fairly certain now what Meredith's final point of destination was. It actually fit. It was the place she had showed him shortly before his departure, it was the place where he had convinced her to give their relationship a real chance, where he had been accepted. There couldn't be a better sign, this was the place he could change her mind again.

With a new spring in his step, he climbed the narrow winding path, his hands groping around occasionally so as not to lose his footing. The rocks surrounding the passage shrouded it in darkness. His pains were soon compensated when he reached the top of the cliff. His eyes couldn't help but widen, his lips parted slightly, as a magnificent nightly panorama stretched before him, flooded in the pale moonlight. The full silvery orb hung low in the sky, its glow flooding the earth sort of like a constant spotlight.

However, this beautiful picture didn't include Meredith anywhere. He first thought he took a wrong turn somewhere. It was possible. Come to think of it, the spot looked different than when he was here with her previously. But he soon realized it was due to the crude wooden railing that was erected at the edge of the cliff. For one horrible moment during which he stepped closer to the railing, he considered...

"Don't worry. I might have been acting like a lunatic tonight... or the last few weeks... or maybe all my life... but I'm most certainly not suicidal."

Letting out a deep breath of relief, Derek whirled around to see Meredith sitting on a small bench that must have been added at the same time as the railing. He had easily missed it as it was situated in a slight hollow in the rock wall.

For the first time this evening, he was not sure what to say. Words, confessions and assurances swirled in his brain but none made it past his lips. He wasn't sure what to tell her because he didn't know exactly where they stood. Meredith's face was currently unreadable to him, her mood and thoughts a mystery. She seemed calm. Even though her hands were joined together in her lap, they weren't twitching like always when she was nervous. Her voice didn't shake, her cheeks were already dry despite her eyelids being just a bit puffy and her green orbs a little glassy, not that he needed a reminder that he had brought her to tears.