It was a beautiful, slightly cloudy day. A chilly storm was blowing in, but right now the lighting was perfect. The mountains were a short drive from the bustling town. It was early in the spring, and the meadows were coming alive with advent of spring. Andor preferred it up here; it was much quieter. He had spent his childhood living in a small village nestled next to the Wind River Range. When he moved away to college, he quickly discovered that he was not really cut out to live in the big city - everyone bustling about absorbed in their own life story - a multitude of little worlds in very close conjunction. On top of all the confusion there was too much noise, concrete, and pollution. There was so much stimulation; he constantly felt overwhelmed and found it difficult to find a quiet place away from the chaos to unplug. After his second year, he began to not notice, and when he realized this, he started to worry he was changing into someone he had always been scared to become - a city person. It was the first time in his life he had become aware of himself changing. This unexpected change was why he was traipsing through the hills. He needed to unplug, to hear the silence, to remember his roots. Andor stopped frequently to marvel at the flowers, the way the light caressed the hillside, or how the trees appeared brighter than usual covered in newly grown leaves.  “What a gorgeous morning!” Andor exclaimed as he stopped next to a babbling brook.  Suddenly a bird who was perched in an ancient twisted, contorted, and gnarled tree let out a perky happy twitter.  “I am glad you agree with me.” Andor's eyes followed the bird before continuing his walk down the narrow trail. --- Lilli’s day began promptly at 7:30 am to the screech of her alarm. She had precisely thirty minutes to shower, eat breakfast, and brush her teeth before running out the door to catch the train to class. She loved trains and always tried to get a window seat so she could watch the world rush by. Once she was at school, she would water the twelve plants in her laboratory, pluck off any dead leaves, and scoot the pots around on the too-small shelf to give them all an equal share of sunlight. Ever since she had been a young girl, she had had a green thumb. She had started out with her own small garden in her parents' backyard. She grew all manner of vegetables, fruits, and herbs there. Often times she would experiment with mixed crops and developing greenhouses to facilitate growing year-round. By the time Lilli was in high school, she had started an urban garden in her neighborhood which provided fresh produce for the local food bank while stimulating the economy by creating jobs. Her urban farm model had proven so successful the city had adopted it on a large scale and turned multiple empty lots within the city from an eyesore into productive land spaces. The story of a young girl creating a mutual aid solution for her community garnered nationwide recognition. Even the President of the United States took notice and she had recognized Lilli for her philanthropy with a President's Environmental Youth Award. This had happened only a few years ago but Lilli, who was now a sophomore in college, had capitalize on her early momentum and was using her love of botany and biology to make a positive change in the world by studying how to grow crops in arid inhospitable climates. It was a skill which would one day prove invaluable. For now though she was content to focus on her studies.  --- As Andor scrambled up the ravine, he knew he would be late for school, but he had a feeling that just around the bend, he would have a great vista to enjoy his breakfast while he soaked in the views. His professor was fairly understanding but just last week had pulled him aside and scolded him. "If you miss one more deadline, I am going to have no choice but to drop your overall standing in the class to a C!" she chided. Try as hard as he could, though, Andor could not make himself care.  _Cs get degrees!_ he kept telling himself.  The morning passed as Andor climbed higher and higher, stopping to soak in the views of the waterfall, wildflowers, rock formations, and the various wildlife had come out to bask in a perfect spring day. Andor found a nice spot to rest nestled in a narrow notch of the canyon; the cliff face above had blocked any further exploration, the rock was loose and sandy - it was way to unstable to climb any further. The views, however, were incredible.  After he had sipped the last bit of coffee from his thermos Andor glanced at his watch. "Shit! I am going to be SOO late.”  --- _It is going to be a long day_ Lilli thought to herself as she logged on to her computer. The midterm paper was due in a few days, and she had not even started it.  _Well, I have got a few hours till the lecture; maybe I can get caught up before then._ Lilli said outlaid under her breath as she opened a new word document and began typing. After several hours of writing feverishly, Lilli had something which was worthy of being turned in. *Perfect! Just in time for lunch before I head off to the lecture.* Lilli said to herself out loud without noticing. She slid her chair away from her desk and straightened out her ruffled skirt. As she turned to grab her backpack, she saw the cute guy she had first seen earlier in the week on the campus trolley hustling towards her. He was looking at the floor, and before she could blurt out a warning, he bumped into her, spilling her half-empty coffee mug all over the floor. "I am sorry. I did not see you there. I did not spill any on you, did I?" Lilli stammered out a reply, something about it spilling on the carpet and it was cold anyway. The cute guy just smiled and turned, hurrying down the hall.  _Obviously, he is late again. I wonder why…?_ Lilli thought to herself as she admired his butt as he hurried down the hall. --- Andor was really late. The waterfall had been further away than it looked from the road, and consequently, he had missed the 10 am project On the ride back to campus Andor had tried to call in, but they did not answer. Not a good sign. _Oh well, I leave for OCS (Officers Candidate School) in a month and a half. I cannot wait to be free of college and the mundane responsibilities of a student. When I am a Marine, life will be much more exciting,_ Andor thought to himself as he dropped his pack, flopped into the chair, and turned on his computer. There was only one email in his inbox. It was the group lead for the project he had missed. They had assigned him to gather research to back up the group's position ahead of the debate on Monday.  _Geez, it's the hardest part!_ Andor thought as he began to type out a reply to the email.  _I guess this is what I get for missing the meeting. Hey, wait a second, I think the cute girl I just bumped into is totally into this. I should go talk to her about it._  _What was her name? Oh yeah - Lilli. Right after I finish my coffee, I will go see if she is in the laboratory. Then I can make a better attempt at apologizing for spilling her coffee all over the floor…_  Andor smiled to himself for thinking of the perfect excuse to talk to her. --- It was a quick glance, a test. To feel the waters, if you will. She responded positively, and it made his heart skip a bit. Andor had expected her to look away, but no, she gazed right back. How long had they known each other, but he never noticed how beautiful her dark brown eyes were? It was a casual conversation, their eyes communicated they wanted something a little more thoughh. Something to add a little spice to their otherwise mundane days filled with endless studying, papers, and lectures. Besides, their act of coyness added to the mystery of it all.  _Does he like me? Does she like me? I cannot tell._  They kept talking, never skipping a beat, just two acquaintances sharing the highlights of their day. Standing in front of Andor, though, was something refreshing. A petite brunette with the slightest hint of a tan. Her smile was deep, captivating, and honest. They had real conversation; there was genuine interest. Connection. Honesty. It was refreshing. _Why would she be interested in me?_ Andor kept thinking as he watched her lips. It was loud in the cafeteria. The only way he could tell what she was saying was to read her lips.  _She is not wearing lipstick, and yet her lips look... How do they look?_  He had never tried to describe a woman's lips before; they had always just been there. He was more interested in other regions, and not just the obvious, but the nose and ears were strangely the most important to him. He had dated a girl a while back who looked gorgeous when viewed straight in the face. However, from the side, her face completely changed, and try as hard as he could, he just could not bring himself to like her face when viewed from the side. It was a contributing factor to his decision to break up with her, that and she was a little off her rocker… _I have never seen Lilli from the side, have I?_ Andor thought as he took off his pack and moved to his right to set it on the chair. A perfect excuse to look at her face from the side, if only for a second.  _Exquisite!_ Andor thought to himself. With this very important observation made, he knew he should test the waters a bit more. They had been chatting for nearly half an hour, and Andor kept expecting her to say, "Well, I should go." But she did not, and so he stood there chatting, smiling, and gazing from her soft brown eyes to her lips and back.  _Her cheeks look so soft._ Then Lilli looked at her phone.  _She is looking at her phone. I have made her uncomfortable; she is probably creeped out by my staring. I should excuse myself... Oh no! Am I a creeper!?_ Then, without really thinking, Andor blurted out the first thing which came to his mind to keep the conversation going. He did not want her to leave just yet. "What a lovely locket," Andor motioned towards her neck. "My mother gave it to me." Instinctively she reached for it and began to rub the small tarnished locket between her thumb and forefinger. With those five words, he remembered the first conversation they had had several months before. He had bumped into her in the quad at the biology club’s table. They shared a similar interest and while they were waiting in line to grab a flyer, they chatted. Their conversation wandered; it was like they were good friends and yet they had just met. He enjoyed the conversation. It was so nice to connect on not just a surface level like all the other girls he had talked to on campus. It was not flirtatious, at least he was not intending to come across as such. He was just enjoying the real conversation. Then she reached for her locket around her neck and began rubbing it in her hands like a worry stone. She mentioned those same five words and then the conversation died. It was as if someone had opened a door and an unexpected gust of wind had extinguished a candle. It was awkward, but before he could think of what to say, she abruptly got out of line and walked away.  _Was she about to cry? I couldn’t tell really…_ Before he could go after her, the person in front of him had grabbed a flyer, and the lady at the desk blurted out, "So! You are interested in biology, huh?" Andor stammered a reply, and when he looked back, Lilli had disappeared into the crowd. This time, in the cafeteria, it was different, though. Their conversation did not die. Quite the opposite happened, in fact. She moved in just a little closer, hardly noticeable to an outside observer. He was just close enough to notice she had just crossed the threshold of space between friends and lovers. Strange how a shift of just a few inches changed the dynamic between them. Before she was a comfortable distance for two acquaintances; now she was within the boundaries of more than just a good friend and closer to someone who shared an interest in becoming your lover. _Why is she so comfortable with me? Could this go somewhere? Was there a spark between them?_ He could feel the warmth radiating from her body. It was electric. They were crossing a line - one he had been too intimidated to cross until she had taken matters into her own hands. She looked up, and their eyes met, and neither looked away. It was real, it was scary, it was exciting, and it made him feel alive. Something he had not felt in a very long time. "She passed away three years ago," Lilli said as a single tear formed in the corner of her eye. Then she turned and left the room without saying goodbye. --- **Two years later…** ![[viewFromTheSummit-i3.jpg]] *I'm going to miss it up here.* Andor thought to himself as he let out a long sigh. He was on top of his mountain - alone. It was devoid of trees, and the slopes were covered in talus interspersed with small patches of sagebrush and wind-swept pines. The views stretched for hundreds of miles. It was a beautiful day. The temperature was a perfect seventy-five; the sun was poking through puffy white clouds. The wind was wafting the scent of pine and dust up the side of the mountain. A thousand feet below, at the base of the mountain, there was the lake with the island on the far side. The lake was fed by springs deep within the mountains, and at its western tip, it spilled out into a small brook which meandered through a small alpine valley for about a mile before flinging itself over a precipice, catching the wind and becoming a glorious rainbow. You could see all this from the top of the mountain; it was beautiful up here on top of the mountain next to his lake. He sat down on a boulder which had been carved by wind and time into a very comfortable seat. He tried to think back to the last time he had come up here, but it had been so long ago his memories were blended together into an indecipherable congealed mass. He wondered how long it would be before he came up here again.  _You never know about life, where it can take you._ Andor thought to himself. Just six months ago, he and Lilli had gotten married - just a few days after graduating as an officer in the US Marine Corps. In twenty-four hours, he was supposed to report to The Basic School. Afterwards he was off to his Military Occupational Specialty school. Their decision to get married had been a little rushed, but neither wanted to be apart for how long it was going to take Andor to complete all of the training. It had made the decision to get married easy. It was an exciting time… ### Next Chapter: [[4 - Chance and Birds 🐦‍⬛]] ### Previous Chapter: [[2 - The Beginnings of a Dreamer 🏔️]]