Waiting For Someone and Getting On The Cable Cart

Turning around, I looked at my reflection in the glass for the cable cart room behind me, the lights around me giving me enough light to see my dirty blond hair styled in a textured comb-over. I messed about with my hair, trying to get it perfect as feelings of anxiety and nervousness built up in me like I was a closed soda bottle that had been shaken up.

The pressure built up in me like a bundle in my stomach and the thought of a cute redhead smiling at me continuously popped up in my head, only serving to tighten the bundle in my stomach.

"Jesus Christ..." I muttered, letting my hands drop to my side as I leaned against the glass, "It's only Ashley, Erik...The girl you've liked since Junior High...The girl who has you wrapped around her little finger without even knowing it..." I trailed off, drumming my head lightly against the glass. Going over the plan for tonight:

First, try to patch things over with Ashley. We drifted apart at the start of High School, and I need to know why, and then rectify whatever mistake I made. Then, after that's done, I need to try and test the waters between me and Ash. I need to see if the feelings I hold are unrequited or not.

...God, I hope they're mutual. Even if only a little.

Such pessimistic thoughts made the bundle in my stomach to tighten even further than I thought possible, and I dropped a hand to my stomach, wondering if something was actually wrong or whether it was all just in my head and the anxiousness was pushing me over the edge and making me feel shit that wasn't happening.

Sighing, I turned back around to look at the trail leading to the Cable Cart, smiling in preparation for Ashley's arrival.

1 minute.

2 minutes.

5 minutes.

10 minutes.

Something's wrong. She should've been here by now.

Getting out my phone, I turned it on before quickly opening the lock screen and tapping the 'Contacts' icon. I thanked God that Mr. and Mrs. Brown named their daughter Ashley as I saw her name appear at the top of the list - the alphabetical sorting systems of the world always made Ashley incredibly easy to find on any sort of list.

Pushing my finger against the call button, I brought my phone up to my ears before tapping my foot, the nervous tick having been with me my entire life. Or at least the parts I could remember.

Ring tones echoed into my ear. I felt a bit of dread when I got past the third tone but as soon as I felt it--

"H-hello, E-Erik?" I heard a slightly flustered voice stutter on the other end and I just felt everything I'd been feeling earlier...disappear. The nervousness, the anxiousness, the tiny bit of dread toward the end...Poof. Gone.

Hearing Ashley's slightly quiet voice, I found myself unconsciously smiling, "Oh thank god you picked up, Ash. I thought something happened to you--But nevermind that," I quickly moved on, not wanting to seem overly worried or whatever, "Where are you? You're, like, 10, 15 minutes late..." I trailed off, the question of 'What are you doing?' practically being screamed out loud by my wording.

I heard an unsure, "Uhhh..." before a nervous chuckle, "Can you, I don't know, come and maybe help me? Erik?" she pleaded at the end and I just felt life wasn't fair:

How could I say no when a girl calls my name so pleadingly, like a fair maiden or damsel in distress? Especially when the girl is someone you've had a crush on for most, if not all, of your teenage life.

Honestly, it's unfair. Crushes just have cheat codes, man.

Letting out an exaggerated sigh and putting an effort into sounding playfully reprimanding, I answered, "Now, what have you done this time, Ash? Climbed up a wall and got stuck or something?" I teased, knowing she always had been a bit too bookish and not too physically active.

Though I was just joking. I thought an 18-year-old would be perfectly capable of getting over a wall.

Ash seemed to want to prove my thoughts wrong, however.

"Y-yeah...how did you know?" she asked clueless like she didn't realize I was joking before. Smiling, I brought a hand up to my face and dragged it over my face, trying to wonder how she got stuck on a wall that's only about 10 feet high; It's not that hard to climb over, even if you're not an athlete like yours truly.

Still smiling, I answered, "I just know you that well, Ash; remember the time we went into the woods in Grade 8? That's mainly what I used to remember your lack of climbing ability~" I teased, finding joy in finally letting go and trying to cross the gap between me and Ashley once again. Though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous that she'd shut me down and any kind of personal conversation like she had in the past.

Like when we entered High School and met for the first time in months...

...Shit. What a way to bring your mood down, Erik. Idiot.

Oblivious to my internal dialogue, Ashley answered me with a slightly embarrassed voice, "...You remember that?" she said, and I could practically see her face; so red it matched her hair. She gave a grunt that sounded incredibly frustrated and embarrassed at the same time, "I was sure you'd forgot about that, Erik! That was so embarrassing!" she practically squealed down the phone, sounding less embarrassed as she carried on, and instead she sounded more and more like she was joyfully reminiscing about a good memory, "But...it was a fun time, right? Exploring the woods, climbing trees together...slipping off a branch and being hung upside down by my shorts..." Ashley trailed off before breaking into laughter and I soon followed her, laughing my ass off and just enjoying the feeling between the two of us...it felt almost like how it used to. Relaxed. Open. It let me feel a little bit of warmth inside my heart.

After we laughed for a while, I finally spoke up, "So, you want me to come over and help you before you get hung upside down by your shorts?" I quipped getting me a giggle from Ashley.

"Yes please, Erik," Ashley spoke out with a sweet voice before she carried on with a slightly pleading voice, "I don't want to ask too much of you Erik, but can you get over here quick? I feel creeped out by this place, honestly..." she trailed off, her anxious nature that I knew all too well showing itself.

Grinning, I nodded despite her not being able to see it, "Yeah, I'll be on my way now, Ash. See you in a bit," I said before hearing a hum of agreement and thanks from over the phone.

Hanging up, I put my phone back in my pocket before putting my bag down on the bench next to me before picking up my pace until I was jogging down the pathway toward the gate and wall where Ashley was stuck.

As I ran, the bundle of tightness returned to my stomach but this time it wasn't fueled by anxiousness but rather...pure excitement.

Shaking my head, I kept my breathing even and kept my jogging at a decent pace and before I knew it, I saw a redhead sitting on top of a snowy wall with her knees up against her chest as she rested her chin on the top of her knees.

She was listening to music and didn't seem to notice me, in her own little world of imagination, so, mischievously grinning, I debated whether I should scare her or not, but realized she could fall off the wall if I did something stupid, so I lost the mischievous grin and just tried to get Ashley's attention.

"Ash! Hello?!" I said, getting louder toward the end when she didn't react to me calling her name.

It seems that she heard some of what I said because her head turned in my direction before her eyes widened like a deer in the headlights of a car. She pulled her earbuds out of her ears before quickly turning off her music, "Erik!" she shouted, waving back at me with a nervous excitement that reminded me of my own--Could it be that she...?--but realizing her situation, she went a little red around her cheeks as she continued, "H-Hey..." she trailed off as she motioned to her situation and gave an embarrassed giggle, "I know; Lame, right?"

Shaking my head, I shrugged, "Eh, not really. At least you're not paralyzed in fear," I stated, walking over to the wall and looking up at the green eyes peering down at me.

I took in just how much she'd changed over the years. Going from the very short, thin and overall dorky girl from Junior High, to becoming a cute and petite girl with curves and slender legs that only contrast positively with her round and soft face, giving her the body of a devil and the face of an angel.

Though I'm probably biased.

"So, how do you wanna go about this? I can catch you if you jump, or I can climb up there and carry you down?" I asked, secretly hoping she'd pick the latter.

Ashley's face went into a thoughtful look losing the embarrassed look she'd just had, seemingly wondering which would be the best.

Unfortunately, in the end, she picked the former, stating that if I climbed up and had to carry her down, we could both fall and get hurt. So, reluctantly agreeing with her, I stood underneath her and braced myself, bending my knees and squaring my shoulders, I looked up and nodded at Ashley who nodded back with a slightly fearful expression.

Guess she's still got that fear of heights and all that, huh?

Keeping my mental musings to a minimum, I kept myself ready for Ashley. But she wouldn't jump.

She seemed a bit...frozen. Guess my earlier comment on her not being paralyzed was a little too soon, huh? Anyway, I smiled encouragingly, before gently speaking to the redhead, "It's alright, Ash, I'll catch you. I promise. I'm not about to let you get hurt anyway, am I? So, jump," I spoke softly, without any kind of forcefulness in my voice, wanting to gently speak Ashley into jumping because forcing her could upset her.

With my words, she seemed to be coming out of her frozen state but it was too late because a hand of hers slipped on the icy rock making up the top of the wall, and her body, losing its support, fell off the wall. Luckily she fell off the side of the wall I was on.

Ashley let out a surprised yelp before screaming her head off, flailing about. But I kept calm. I could catch her.

Bracing myself, I lifted my arms and caught the small redhead. Thanking God and my past self for spending all that time in the Gym, I huffed as I felt Ashley's momentum and weight get put to a gradual stand-still by my arms. Though Ashley was still screaming her head off, her eyelids tightly closed shut.

"Ash. Ash!" I said loudly, yet still gently, "You're fine, I caught you! So, please, stop screaming, Ash!" I laughed a little toward the end, seeing her crack open an eyelid, her green eye peering up at me. Her current expression of confusion and relief was quite...cute.

Seeing she was fine, Ashley gave a weak chuckle before looking up at me with a small smile, "Thanks...Erik. I knew I could count on you," her little smile made my heart go into a mad flutter and I honestly wondered if I was having a heart attack.

"Y-yeah, no worries, r-right?" laughing just as nervously as I felt, I couldn't help but become extremely aware of the soft body I was holding.

I currently had her in a princess carry, so one of my hands was wrapped under her back and around her waist, while my other arm was around her thigh/knee area. Even through the black leggings she was wearing, I could feel her soft skin and the healthy thickness to her thighs. She just felt so...nice. Like a satin pillow.

I was well aware of how creepy I was being but...I didn't care. This is my crush. A girl I'm pretty sure I...Whatever, what I mean is that I'm only human, ya know?

But weirdly enough, Ashley wasn't complaining about our intimate position, either. In fact, her face was red and her smile had a...satisfied look to it? Suspicious. Before I could ask why she was so happy looking, she spoke up.

"My legs feel like jelly, so Erik...Can you carry me for a bit?" she looked hopeful and I guessed she really didn't feel like walking after falling off a wall, so I nodded and started walking/jogging back to the cable cart room, knowing the more time I spent feeling her body, the more of a creep I was.

. . .

The jog back to the cable cart was quiet. Not an awkward kind of quiet, but more like the both of us were just enjoying each other's presence and that's all we needed.

I was getting more and more convinced that maybe, just maybe, that my crush wasn't exactly one-sided or unrequited. But I didn't get my hopes up too much, nor did I let my ego get in the way. That would most likely ruin everything.

"Ah, here we are," I said, only slightly fatigued by the running, even while holding Ashley. I guess all that weighted running Coach had me do is paying dividends, huh?

Walking over to the bench, I saw that my bag was still there, letting out a sigh of relief that there wasn't some kind of thief up here with us. It also served to calm any worries that the guy from the Wanted Poster was here. Living up in these mountains, he'd probably take any supplies he saw, so my bag being untouched was a good sign.

Getting to the bench, I reluctantly put Ashley down on the bench. The redhead looked up at me and smiled, whispering a quiet thanks.

"Oh wow," I said as I looked through the glass, "Looks like we were just in time, Ash," I pointed through the glass as the cable cart was docking with the platform.

Ash wobbly got up, using the hand which I offered to steady herself as she stood. She made put her backpack on before making her way toward the door to the platform.

Getting onto the platform, I opened the door to the cable cart before motioning for Ashley to get on.

She smiled before trying to tease me, "An all-around Gentlemen, aren't you, Erik?"

Laughing, I tipped an imaginary Stetson hat, "Well, I do try my best, ma'am," said in my best southern drawl accent which earned me a giggle.

Both of us sat down next to one another on the cable cart, relaxing as the cart slowly started moving up toward the lodge.

As things were just getting quiet, I decided to start up a conversation.

"It's...it's definitely weird coming back after a year, right? I refuse to believe I'm the only one who thinks that," I said in an assured voice, feeling weird that we were coming back together on the one year anniversary of the disappearance of Beth and Hannah. Invited to the lodge by their brother, no less.

It seemed Ashley agreed with me as she nodded her head, "Yeah...it's weird. I don't know why Josh invited us all up here on the anniversary of their disappearance...that just seems like bad timing, no?" she questioned before quickly clarifying something in a slightly anxious and fearful voice, "Not that I don't want to hang out with you--you guys. I just think it's weird is all," she shrugged her shoulders, glancing at me with worried green eyes like I would be offended with her opinions.

Clicking my fingers and pointing one of them at her, "That's exactly what I thought. It's a bit...morbid, I guess? Shouldn't we be paying our respects to Hannah and Beth instead of having a party?" I said, saying my true thoughts on what I thought about the party tonight.

"You say that like they're, you know," she leaned in before whispering like someone would hear her if she didn't, "dead, or something, Erik."

Rolling my eyes I looked down at her, "You think someone could survive in these snowy ass mountains an entire year? Mountains that have an abundant wolf and bear population? I don't care what people say, Hannah and Beth are likely dead, Ash," I grimly said, having thought this over a lot due to my guilt. But that's another story for another time.

As soon as I said this I regretted it, as the mood in the cart took a plummet and Ashley looked especially gloomy.

Shit. Well done, Erik.

Sighing, I spoke up again, "Though I hope I'm wrong, okay, Ash? So, please, let's just talk about something else. We need to try and enjoy this trip--It'll be like those sleepovers we had in Junior High!" I said with a laugh, trying to inject some energy into the atmosphere.

It seemed to work as Ashley groaned before looking up at me with a playfully reprimanding gaze.

"You mean when you'd force me to watch horror movies with you? And then you'd torment me with scary noises throughout the night? How fun~" she sarcastically said, her eyes flickering with mischievous light, "Though, maybe it could be my turn to get some revenge on you tonight~"

Scoffing, I leaned over toward Ashley, getting pretty close to her face, "Bring it on, I'll take whatever you throw at me!" I confidently smiled, provoking the redhead who seemed to take the challenge as she turned away, a scheming smile on her face.

"Challenge accepted, Erik. You better get ready~" she said before laughing, obviously thinking about all the ways she could try and mess with me.

Despite being pretty dorky, Ash hides a pretty mischievous side, huh?

Her laughter coming to an end, Ashley went quiet and looking at her face, it seemed kinda...sad?

Worried about this look, I spoke up, asking her about it, "What's up, Ash? You okay?" shocking her out of whatever daydream she was in.

"Huh? Y-yeah, I'm fine. I was just wondering about something..." she trailed off and I motioned for her to carry on. Biting her full, glossy lips, Ashley looked up at me with painfully curious green eyes, "What happened?" she asked before quickly clarifying what she meant when she saw my confused look, "Between us, I mean. We were so close in Junior High...But as soon as we got into High School you entered the football team, and I took to studying really hard...but why did that get in between us, Erik?"