Before You Go

chapter twenty-six

Eliza

"Christ," Serena moans. "How much longer until we're there? My feet are killing me."

"Serves you right for not wearing the proper shoes," Leon shouts from the front. He and Tenille are ahead of the pack, leading everyone to the place where the three of us to go cliff jumping when we were teenagers. It's several kilometres away from Tenille's house and hardly anyone knows about this place because the only safe trail is on Tenille's property. There is the odd time where a couple of crazy teenagers will dare to ascend the steep, rough northern side of the mountain, but it's rare. When we were younger, me, Tenille, and Leon used to come up here all the time, and almost every single time, we were alone. 

Serena scoffs, waving his comment off. "I was not about to ruin my bikini with a God-awful pair of hiking boots. What is it with society? You can never find a stylish pair of those things."

"She's going to ruin it when she jumps in," James mutters. "There's no way that thing is staying on."

I cover my giggle with a cough. Although James does have a point, I'd prefer to not lose my soap partner due to laughing at a comment she won't find very funny. In order to distract myself, I glance at the scenery around me. It's a beautiful day and I'm looking forward to spending some time with everyone. Aside from Serena, all of us love to hike and explore the hidden gems of the town. James, Kit, Scott, and Serena have never seen this place before, and I'm happy that we get to share it with them.

"Seriously!" Serena presses. "Where the hell are we going?"

"You're going to love it," I tell her. "When we get there, you'll understand why Tenille, Leon, and I used to come up here all the time when we were kids. The water is so clear that you can see the rocks at the bottom."

"I'm holding you accountable for your words, Eliza," she replies. "If I so much as get a blister and don't enjoy this place, I'm suing you."

"If you're going to do that, can you wait until we've paid off our honeymoon?" James jokes.

Everyone laughs at his realistic joke – travel is not cheap nowadays. We're going to be paying off our honeymoon for months to come.

As everyone chuckles and exchanges jokes, I look around, trying to imprint this day into my head. But when I come to Leon, I notice he's not smiling or laughing. He actually looks...upset. Almost disturbed. For a second, I think he's thinking about his mom, but then I realize that's probably the last thing he's thinking about. I know Leon always told his parents where he was going and what he was doing, but this place doesn't hold any significance in regards to his mom. She never came up here with us. None of our parents ever did. If the cliffs and the lake were a kingdom, then Leon, Tenille, and I were the rulers.

Stuck in thought about what could be darkening Leon's bright personality, I begin to create a list in my head and meticulously go through each detail. I manage to come up with a few: possibly being stressed out about golf or maybe he's agitated because he didn't get his routine bike ride in this morning. The third one, though, is one that hits me with curiosity and astonishment. When Leon told me he was here to support me as a friend, I could tell that he was lying – someone doesn't just show up after two years to support you. And I don't think he just came here to tell me about his mom. So...so it is possible that everything he's been doing, such as leaving me kettle corn in the pantry and making sure I was okay, is for some underlying reason?