Pine Creek, Colorado

Aden’s foot pludged down through the water, and the other slipped from the rock, landing him face first into the river. It wasn’t frigid, but the water was still chilled enough to make an unexpected faceplant very unpleasant.

He recovered his footing quickly, but the damage was already done. His clothes, shoes, and half his backpack, were now soaked.

From a few yards away, laughter erupted. “Holy shit! You ok, blondie?” The voice’s concern seemed insincere through her fit of giggles.

Aden moved over to the bank of the river, discarding his sodden shoes and shaking out his dripping hair. The girl, who had been taking pleasure in his clumsiness, jumped down from her perch on a thick branch that hung over the river, then bounded over to his side.

“What were you even doing there? Some zen river shit?” She laughed again, lifting a leg and balancing herself on one foot to copy the position she had seen him in, then pulled her leg back and landed on it to fall into a sloppy karate pose.

Aden avoided her gaze, bitten with frustration and thoroughly embarrassed, his wet clothes and her teasing not making it any better. He tried to get her attention away from what she had caught him doing by changing the subject subtly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know this was private property. I was just looking for-.”

“Pine Creek?” She finished his sentence, flashing teeth when he finally looked at her out of reflex. She pointed to the water, stifling another laugh. “You just fell in it.”

He couldn’t possibly get any more red. “The campground.”

“No kidding. You’re a camper? And I thought you were out here practicing your swimming.”

Aden gritted his teeth together, flopping himself down onto a patch of grass to wring out his socks and put his shoes on. “I wasn’t trying to swim.”

She snorted, her eyes gleaming that he had walked into her next quip. “Could have fooled me with the wet clothes.” She hid her laughter behind her hand as she delivered the line carefully, as if aware that she was pushing it but obviously unable to help herself. After her words garnered an eye roll she finally took pity, pulling in her smile to be a bit more serious. “You’re not far. The grounds are half a mile up the river. Come on, I’ll walk you.”

Aden glanced at her skeptically, but she was already leaving. He pulled on his second sodden shoe, calling after her, “You said this was private property.”

Her thick, dark hair was wrapped up in a tangled braid that was falling apart at the back of her neck and bounced between her shoulder blades as she went. It flicked over her collar as she looked back at him, a mischievous grin as she replied, “I was just fucking with you. I couldn’t help myself. It’s too easy with you tourist types.”

Aden tried not to let first impressions color his judgements, but to be completely honest he wasn’t entirely sure about having her company for the last half mile to the campgrounds. Then again, she didn’t exactly seem like the type that would just let him alone. Aden tied his shoes in a rush, grabbing his bag from the ground and hurried to catch up with her. His feet pounded in protest. “Is it that obvious?”

“What?”

He cleared his throat a little. He was sure his face was still flushed with lingering awkwardness. “Is it obvious that I’m a, uh- tourist?” He didn’t really like that word. It was deceptive. It’s not like he had gotten this far along being completely honest though.

She shrugged, her oversized tee-shirt falling down her shoulder with the movement.“Well, to me it is. But I’m a bit of an exception considering I’ve grown up around basically nothing but tourists. It’s like a sixth sense at this point.”

The missing details of her explanation had Aden curious. “Wait, you’re not visiting?”

She laughed. “Hell no. Born and raised Coloradan. Second generation even.”

Aden resisted his own chuckle, trying to keep his face neutral, but aware that he was failing. She didn’t deserve his laughter yet though. She hadn’t even apologized. “I wouldn’t have guessed. You don’t look local.” With the careless words, he instantly bit his tongue.

She arched a sharp eyebrow and crossed her arms, but a smirk played in her eyes. “That’s very presumptuous of you.”

“That’s not how I meant it.” Aden went red again, back pedalling. “I just mean, I had a picture in my head of someone that lives in Colorado…”

She jumped on the balls of her feet. “Oh, oh, this is fun, let me guess! You expected a conservative, pro-gun, home-schooled country music lover. Or did you go for the more, liberal-vegan-hippy-pot-head with caucasian dreads things?”

Aden couldn’t help the snort that escaped him this time, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Yes?”

She rolled her eyes playfully. “Well, only a couple of those things are true. Good luck finding out which ones.” Another wicked grin passed her lips. “You’re not really one to talk about stereotypes, SoCal.”

He couldn’t resist his reaction this time. His surprise took him off guard. “Shut the fuck up. How’d you do that?” He wasn’t sure how he felt about her reading him so well. He had gotten this far by saying very little, but she had gotten more out of him in the last five minutes than his entire type from the coast.

She seemed satisfied just getting a swear out of him. “It’s the hair. Cali kids have a special shade of blond. It’s gotta be the salt and sun, or something.”

Aden ran a hand through his wet hair self-consciously, trying to think of a comeback but finding himself distracted as they rounded a bend and the trees cleared away. He stopped in his tracks. “Whoa.”

A few yards ahead of them was the still waters of a massive lake, like mirrored glass, reflecting clear sky and mountains on the horizon. Aden would be lying if he said his breath wasn’t stolen from him.

“Never seen a lake before, blondie?”

He shook his head. “Not like this.”