His Naughty Lessons-Chapter 294: Magic Touch

** Eli **

"Gosh, what a day." Harper collapsed into her seat and stretched out into a sprawl when they got back in the car. "I wonder if the party’s still going without us. You think Vanessa is still screeching like a banshee somewhere out there?"

Eli snorted at the reminder of the annoying woman. "Probably. She’s going to have a fun time recovering from all the disgrace she brings upon herself tonight."

"And from the stain I made in her priceless gown with that wine," Harper added. "Though I have to say I was a bit disappointed by the visibility of the red wine on her wine-red dress. Maybe she was prepared for the drama tonight and chose her colors wisely ahead of time."

The snort turned into a laughter as both of them imagined Vanessa instructing her designer to make an evening dress that was maximally resistant to bitch fights and wine-to-the-face.

Then they both went pensive for a moment.

"That was quite a different evening from what I expected, which should’ve been a relaxing celebration for your big project milestone." Eli felt almost a bit guilty saying it. "And it leaves me just about a thousand questions for you about what happened when you snuck away from the table, or whether my father said something to you at the hospital that I should be alarmed of ... But before we get to that, what do you think if we both take Monday off from work? Let’s go somewhere more fun tomorrow and make up for that celebration-turned-hectic-mess."

Harper’s head snapped around instantly from the lazy loll. "Yes! I could totally use that! My boss is already giving everyone a late morning bonus for Monday, probably because he expects us all to get hungover, so I’m sure he wouldn’t mind a last-minute day off request. Where are we going?"

Eli chuckled at the plain excitement on her face. "You’ll see soon," he promised. "And I guarantee you will like it."

~ ~

The rest of the night passed with lots of storytelling and jaw-dropping. Eli could hardly believe what he was hearing when Harper told him about everything that happened while she was away at the gala. The fact that Vanessa had schemed up such a devious plan with Julie — who he hadn’t seen in years and didn’t even notice to be in the room at all — made him want to slap both women himself, and the realization of what Harper had almost mistaken his reaction to the announcement for made him feel ... more than a little frightened.

It was obvious that his slip of judgment two months ago had left consequences, leaving that tiny trace of uncertain doubt between them.

Fortunately, he had this mini Sunday vacation to fix it.

"Ha! You know I was actually suspecting this as soon as you told me about the day off." On the said mini vacation, Harper exclaimed proudly when he turned the car off the highway, taking a path up the rolling hills that were all too familiar to them. "A second go at the camping trip spoiled by Tyler? It’s on my bucket list too!"

"Trust me, that ruined weekend is probably ranked at the very top of my lifetime’s regret list." Especially considering what happened immediately upon their return ... which would’ve ranked even higher off the chart if not for Harper’s timely rescue. "So for this time, I went as far as reserving a different camping site to avoid being reminded of the tragic experience."

Harper laughed. Then she glanced back at the trunk of the car suspiciously. "When did you pack the camping gear? How come I didn’t even notice?"

"Oh, you’ll find out soon enough." Eli returned her a mysterious look as they pulled into the parking lot, halfway up the mountains at the trailhead. "One surprise at a time — let’s start with a sunset hike up the peak, shall we?"

His girl needed no more convincing.

The late afternoon air was crisp and cool up in the hills, refreshing with an earthy fragrance that cleansed off all the daily annoyances from their minds as soon as they hit the trail. They took their time on the hike, slowly climbing up the switchbacks that wound through the woods, pausing every once in a while to enjoy the last days of summer scenery.

Harper loved the sunset hours sending little dapples falling through the treetops, glittering like tiny diamonds lining their paths. Eli loved the green leaves tinted a surreal shade of gold. As they ascended closer and closer to the top of the mountain, the clouds started turning orange as well, and they both admired the radiance gilding the world below in halos of yellow and pink.

When they reached the peak, the timing was perfect. The bright disk of fiery red-orange had just started dipping below the horizon, its warm rays glowing beautifully through wisps of clouds that covered the sky, stretching on and on from horizon to horizon with a full palette of ever-changing colors. The two of them stood at the highest point of the summit, hand in hand, watching the breathtaking view unfold in every direction around them and beneath them. It felt like they were at the top of the world.

"I can’t believe we’ve never come here for sunsets before, out of all the times we hiked and camped in these mountains." Harper marveled. "It’s incredible ... like watching magic pass through, leaving such a subtle but unmistakable touch behind."

Eli thought that analogy was so very close to the magic she had in his life. Only that she was the rising sun instead, bringing him not only that magic touch but also brightness to light up a whole world.

He kept that cheesy confession to himself though. When the last gleam of sunlight faded from the horizon, leaving only streaks of vibrant magenta in its wake, he wrapped her in his arms, and their lips met in a soft kiss that felt just as magical as the splendid evening itself.