Chapter Twelve
Stryder
Tasha told me stories of her high school adventures as we explored the small cave. It wasn’t as challenging as I expected it to be, but the mini-spelunking experience gave me a rush of adrenaline.
At one point, Tasha stopped to rest on a huge boulder-like portion near the entrance. My photographer’s eye was quick to catch that special moment. Without a word, I raised my camera and captured the scene, with the stream of light illuminating one side of her face, emphasizing small beads of sweat on her neck and showing off her lovely features.
She suddenly turned around to face me just as I snapped again.
“Hey, paparazzi!” she called, her lips turning into a grin.
“Sorry, I couldn’t help it,” I admitted sheepishly as I approached and sat down next to her.
She smiled, obviously flattered. Then to my surprise, she rested her head on my shoulder and just stared ahead quietly. That simple act seemed so natural and yet it made me freeze. So many things were running through my head, but I tried to ignore them and just relish that special moment.
“So how’d you discover this cave?” I asked, trying to make casual conversation in order to drive away the strange feeling that was gnawing inside me.
“My dad used to take me here when I was just ten or eleven…” she answered, trailing off as her eyes took on a reminiscent look. She smiled and lifted her head to look at me. “He would just talk to me about his life, not caring if I didn’t say a word. Until one day, I started responding. I felt that I could talk to him already, just like that.”
“Sounds wonderful,” I said, nodding thoughtfully. I had no such meaningful moments with my own father, who was always busy at work. Most of our interaction involved him giving me a sermon or telling me what to do with my life. It was always about him and never about me.
“Yeah, it was great how we developed this bond, you know…” Tasha continued. “After I’d cried and lashed out for some time, all the pain of losing my biological parents was gone. All the emptiness of my lonely childhood suddenly dissipated, replaced with love and understanding and patience.”
“Amazing,” I whispered. “Your foster parents are a blessing, Tasha. They made you complete.”
“Yes,” she answered with a smile. She opened her mouth to say something else, but then changed her mind and looked away. I could sense that she wanted to know more about me, but something was always holding me back. Besides, there was really nothing great to share about my own family. I would rather shut up on that topic.
After a while, she turned to me and asked, “So how are your photos? Can I see them?”
“Sure,” I said, handing her the camera. As she began to check out the pictures, I found myself relaxing and sharing about how my passion for photography started.
“It was during a vacation like this, in the midst of a mountain resort…” I said, recalling the only family vacation I had been to with both of my parents. Dad had a meeting somewhere in the area so Mom had insisted that we tag along in order to have some family enjoyment time. “I was just inspired, I guess. I was in high school and my whole life was already about football. But then, my aunt had given me a camera so I decided to play around with it.”
“Okay… so you never had any formal training?”
“Nope,” I replied. “That vacation wasn’t really much of a vacation. I found myself alone most of the time, so it was only the camera and the nature around me that had kept me company.”
“Why?”
I shrugged, not wanting to say anything more. It was just so sad and I didn’t want to relive the memories. I changed the topic, focusing on photography. I told her about developing the passion for it and sort of just self-studying for a while.
“So what happened? Did you ever take photos during an event or perhaps have some sort of exhibit?” she asked curiously.
I shook my head, sadness filling up my heart. “My dad discovered it and put an end to it,” I simply said. The look of shock and pity in her eyes seemed to pain me.
“That must have been tough, to be torn away from something you loved so much…” she whispered, taking my hand in hers and squeezing it.
I didn’t pull away, but I simply nodded. “Yeah, well, it was all for the best, I guess. He didn’t want me to be distracted, and perhaps that’s the reason why I made it to the football pro league.”
“I guess so,” she agreed reluctantly. She interlaced her fingers with mine and sweetly laid back her head on my shoulder, giving me a warm feeling all over.
“Luckily, he didn’t take away my camera,” I said. “From time to time, I take it out to immerse in this passion, to just get lost in all of it and forget about my real worries.”
“Yeah, I get it,” she said. “But you’re all grown up now. You’re a football star already! You’ve accomplished your father’s goal. Don’t you think it’s time you went after your own dream?”
I gave her an odd look, confusion creeping into my heart. “Becoming one of the best football players in Windfield was my dream.”
“Are you sure? Is it just that?”
Suddenly, an image of me traveling the world and taking beautiful pictures formed in my mind. It gave me a sense of self-fulfillment and joy, different from the emotions that overtook me when I was playing a good game of football. “I guess… I do want to pursue photography if I could.”
“You can,” she told me confidently, smiling widely. “You can do it, Stryder. I’ll help you.”
I gave her a doubtful look. She motioned to the camera and smiled at me even more. “You’ve got pure talent here. It’d be a waste to just keep it to yourself, right? Come on, I believe in you.”
A tinge of hope began taking form within me, swirling with mixed emotions. Her words echoed in my ears, making me feel optimistic. Perhaps she was right. The fact that she believed in me meant so much, possibly enough to reignite a dream I had long buried.
Greatly inspired, I spent the rest of the afternoon shooting with my camera as we made our way back. I was so engrossed that I hardly noticed Tasha watching me from a distance. She was far back behind me, content with just observing what I was doing.
At first, I felt conscious because I wasn’t used to having someone watch my every move. But later on, my focus shifted more to what I was doing. I soon lost track of time as I clicked away at various sceneries and took macro shots of birds and insects.
Suddenly, I heard a scream from afar. I dropped the camera and quickly scanned the grounds. Tasha was nowhere to be found. I took off, sprinting to the direction we’d passed earlier.
As I rounded a curve on the trail, I spotted her sprawled on the ground, her face scrunched in pain. She was gripping her ankle, but did not seem to show any sign of a serious injury.
“Tasha!” I shouted, running to her direction, my heartbeat quickening in pace.
Her head whipped around to face me. She was about to say something when a large figure from behind a nearby tree appeared and knelt down beside her.
My eyes flickered with annoyance. Without thinking, I balled up my fists as I watched the familiar man crouch down and check her ankle. They seemed to be talking.
I was frozen for a while, but then something within me budged, slightly pushing me forward. And with every step I took closer, my chest filled with renewed determination. The only thought left in my mind at that instance was that I needed to get to Tasha before that man whisked her away.
As I came close, I recognized the guy. It was her ex-boyfriend Brad. Suddenly, I felt rage brewing inside. What the hell was he doing here? Why did he keep injecting himself into the story—our story?!
“Tasha,” I said curtly, completely ignoring Brad. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she answered weakly. “I tripped over a pile of rocks and sprained my ankle.”
“I have you,” Brad said immediately, positioning himself to lift her up.
But then I stepped forward and said, “It’s okay, I got her. We were together, so she’s my responsibility.”
Brad turned around to face me squarely, his eyes flashing with irritation. He tried to look me down but we were just about the same height. I refused to be intimidated or even to step back—not unless Tasha herself wanted me to.
“She’s not your business, so you can leave now,” I told him, trying to remain in control.
He was certainly pissed. “Really? If you’re in charge here, then why’d you let her get hurt? You weren’t even around to take care of her.”
He had a point, but I refused to back down. I wanted to punch him in the face just as a retort came to my lips.
“Stop it, guys!” Tasha ordered before I could utter anything. Then looking at Brad, she said, “Brad, it’s okay. It was my fault. Besides, this is just a small thing. We can make it back home easily.”
It was a good thing Brad listened to her and eventually stepped back. He gave me a sharp look, though, before turning to say goodbye to Tasha. “I’ll check on you tonight, Tash,” I heard him murmur before he left.
I glared at him before stooping down to carry Tasha. She wrapped her arms around my broad shoulders, hanging on tightly. The proximity gave me a warm feeling, though I was still terribly bothered by her ex’s sudden appearance.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked Tasha as I walked slowly, carrying her.
She nodded. “But you’re the one I’m worried about,” she said. “You won’t be able to carry me all the way home. It’s still quite far.”
“It’s fine,” I said, moving slowly. “I can manage.”
“No,” she said firmly. “Put me down and just let me lean on you. I’ll hobble.”
I hesitated for a while before following her instructions. “Just don’t put weight on it,” I told her.
She grinned up at me and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. I was taken aback but I didn’t say anything.
For a while, we were quiet, just making our way forward carefully. My head was swimming with confusing thoughts, my chest churning with mixed emotions.
“Hey,” she suddenly said. “You okay?”
“Yes,” I answered. Then I couldn’t help it anymore, so I brought up the topic that had been bothering me. “What was that guy doing here? Was he stalking you or something?”
“No, of course not,” Tasha answered, laughing a bit. “Brad said he was on his way to the cave when he heard me scream.”
“So he often went there before, huh?” I asked.
“Yes, he enjoys hiking and exploring caves and all that stuff.”
My heart began to beat faster as a thought occurred to me. “You two used to go to that cave together a lot?” I asked without hesitation. I just needed to know.
She was the one who hesitated before nodding. “That was a long time ago, Stryder…”
“Hey, no worries,” I immediately said.
She gave me a look of concern and confusion. However, she didn’t say anything. We both stayed quiet for the rest of the way, with me supporting her as she hobbled on one foot and barely used her injured one.
When we finally got to the lake, we both plopped on the ground exhausted.
“I should’ve known to bring a first aid kit,” she muttered. She then told me where to grab some supplies to bandage her foot properly and for cold compress.
Later, I came out with ice wrapped in a cloth, which I gently applied on her ankle. I propped it up on a big rock I found so we could elevate it. After a few minutes, I bandaged it with great care, all the while aware of her eyes on me. I could sense the growing tension between us—not a negative kind, but a deeper connection forming.
It was strange how much she affected me and how much I seemed to care for her. It was all so new to me.
Many times I wanted to just run away or hide from the overwhelming, unexplainable feelings that kept swirling inside of me. But there was a big part of me that kept pushing forward, wanting to be with her, yearning to take care of her.
“Thank you,” she said softly when I was done. Then she took my face in her arms and brought me up to her until our lips pressed together in a sweet, meaningful kiss.
Though unsure of where we were headed, I felt like I only wanted to live for that moment and not worry about the future for now.