Page 146 of Break Me

“Oh wow,” she says softly.

I lean against the bike and watch her. She always changes a little when something captures her heart. Her eyes soften, and the rest of the world seems to fall away until there's only the thing she's looking at.

“Come on,” she says, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the entrance like she’s the one who brought me here.

The air carries the scent of damp leaves and cold stone as we make our way through the forest. Somewhere ahead, the waterfall announces itself long before it comes into view, its steady roar rolling through the trees like distant thunder.

The path winds between towering pines before giving way to a long flight of wooden steps descending into the gorge. Moisture clings to the rail beneath my hand, cool against my skin, while a fine mist drifts upward, settling lightly across our faces. With every step, the trees begin to open, and flashes of white water appear through the branches before the falls finally reveal themselves in full.

Raven walks a few steps ahead of me, her hand skimming the railing as the staircase curves along the rock face. The roar of the falls swells until the trees finally give way, revealing the bridge and the waterfall beyond it.

Water rushes over the cliff in wide ribbons of white, breaking against the dark stone before plunging into the pool below. Cool mist drifts through the gorge, settling over the bridge and dampening the sleeves of our jackets.

Raven stops halfway across.

The waterfall fills her gaze.

So does the smile that slowly finds her.

“Sam,” she breathes. “This is incredible.”

I rest my hand against the railing beside her. The water cascades below us. A single leaf lands near the edge of the falls. It spins once on the surface before the current catches it, carrying it downstream.

Raven’s eyes follow the leaf as the current pulls it past the rocks until it disappears around the bend.

“Even when things end,” she says quietly, her eyes still following the water as it winds through the rocks, “the current keeps going.”

I glance at her, then back toward the rushing falls.

“Yeah,” I whisper.

Raven keeps watching the current, as though it has more answers to give.

The steady rush of water fills the air around us, the mist cool against my face. People move along the walkway behind us, voices rising and fading as they pass, but none of it reaches the small space between us.

Raven slips her hand into mine. Her fingers are cool, but they fit against mine like they always have.

“If I could choose one moment to keep,” she says quietly, “I think it would be this one.”

Leaves drift through the air around us, and I tighten my grip on her hand.

“Then we keep it.”

“How?”

I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone.

Raven raises an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”

“Keeping this moment.”

Before she can protest, I step a little closer beside her and hold the phone out in front of us.

She laughs, soft and real, and the world seems to slow for a second.

The picture catches her mid-smile, hair moving in the breeze, the white ribbon of the waterfall behind us.

I glance down at the screen. “Not bad.”