Her eyes

Chapter 8

We drove for about an hour. With the music from my phone connected at a low volume, their was a comfortable silence in the car. I had the fleeting thought that I'd never sat in silence for so long with another person outside of my family and been comfortable with it.

I'd already made the trip yesterday to make sure she would like it. I hoped she would. I had asked my dad where to go he had always enjoyed the outdoors and he had lived here for a time in his twenties.

When I exited the highway and entered a wooded area we drove for about 5 minutes before we arrived to a flat plateau, Layla reached for her car door. And I told her to wait a second.

I exited the car and quickly took my bag out of the back seat before jogging to her side. I pulled open the door and the way her eyes blinked up at me, made me think I would pay any price to commission a painting of them, just as they were right now.

I grabbed her hand, and the small electric current that skittered down my spine made me pause.
She looked at me in question, and I looked at her in capitulation. Waving the white flag of my surrender. She had me, I suspected from the second I'd laid my eyes on her. And she didn't even know it.

"What is this place, what are we doing here?"

"Don't worry, it'll be worthwhile. I promise." I reassured her. I wouldn't bring her somewhere that was mediocre. She deserved more than that.

I gently urged her along with a "come on, you'll see."

We walked across the plateau until we reached the end. The drop down was far, and with the sun going down the bottom was pitch black. I felt her squeeze my hand a little harder taking a step back.

"Trust me, I have you." I encouraged,

At the lip of a specific place the plateau dropped off, there was a steep hill going down, but it was pretty wide, so we weren't at any risk of falling down. Either way I placed Layla closest to the wall, just in case.

We continued walking a little further, and I noticed that she became more certain now that we weren't about to fall to our deaths.

After a while, we came to the entrance of a cave. It looked dark gaping maw from the outside. Like the gates of hell. I could immediately tell Layla was apprehensive again.

I tried soothing her worries "don't be scared, remember I have you. And I also have this." I pulled out a big maglite from my bag, that erased some of the uneasiness from her demeanor.

"What's in there?" She asked gazing at the entrance. But I could tell that behind her fear she was becoming curious.

" I guess we'll have to go in and see.You know be brave..." She looked at me like I'd said something groundbreaking. But she eventually took a deep breath and nodded.

I went in first and guided her along, I clicked the maglite on so we could see where we were going. The entrance was a medium sized tunnel that continued for awhile. We traveled along the well worn path for a few minutes. The silence felt heavy in here, I could feel Layla's tension behind me. I rubbed my thumb along the backside of her hand, to try and ease her and to let her know that I was here.

I knew there wasn't anything dangerous up ahead but I understood her apprehension. When the tunnel ended I clicked of my light, because we didn't need it anymore.

We entered a vast cavern, with a small cerulean pool at the center. And a full roof of stalactites hanging down from above. It was dark now that the sun had gone down. And they glittered and gleamed like a thousand stars above us.

I glanced at Layla and she was wonderstruck. Her eyes bounced all over the place like she couldn't decide what to take in first. Her lips forming a small circle in awe.

While she took in the view, I took in her reaction. She looked in astonishment like her eyes had never bestowed anything more beautiful. But mine had.

After a few moments of her stunned silence she faced me.

"Thank you." She looked emotional. Like this was just what she had needed to see.

"What for?" I chanced asking.

"For taking me here, I have never seen anything as heavenly before" she quickly looked back. Like she couldn't stand not gazing at the marvel in front of her. I had much of the same thought. I couldn't look away from her.