It was pitch black outside. Visibility was down to almost zero, blocking out the forest and rivers from view unless you were very close to them.
A bright light then pierced the area, bringing colour back to the immediate area. That light was being held by a man, who walked side by side with a woman.
“Much better than that small torchlight,” the man said.
“Wouldn’t it have been safer to use the higher-powered beam to begin with?” the woman asked.
“If there were any drivers coming up the road, I didn’t want to blind them.”
“You’re always considerate like that.” She turned her head to smile at him. “And that’s why I love you.”
She shivered slightly.
She wouldn’t voice it now, though she had mentioned it when the outing had first been proposed to her. It seemed he was prepared for anything, having assured her things would be fine. While the walk would be cold, he’d said, they’d have the chance to warm up when they arrived.
She didn’t need to, but she turned her head that bit further to see behind him. The suitcase he’d brought along was still clattering along behind him. When he’d arrived at her house with it earlier that evening, she had been curious as to why. She’d guessed it must have been full of other things they’d be taking with them when he strapped the handle to the bottom of his backpack, but as yet had not seen what was inside.
“You remember our first date here?” he then asked her.
“It was a fun time,” she replied. “I had a lot more fun on that adventure than I expected to.”
“I’m glad you opened up to going. We’ve been on so many adventures since then.”
She smiled at that, remembering. She hadn’t always been so adventurous.
When young, the school had taken them on an adventure holiday. She’d had an accident on one of the first days there. It wasn’t bad, not enough to send her home, but she had avoided everything she could get away with for the rest of the week. When she’d returned, she had avoided any future holidays the school had put on, along with avoiding any holidays and special events the secondary school she had attended put on.
Later in life, when she had first met Adam, she had been open enough to talk about it all. From what he had told her, she’d known he had a love of travel. Maybe he could relate to her problems.
He had done so much more than that. He had, slowly but surely, made her realise that the one incident that had put her off any sort of outdoor activity had been holding her back throughout her life. He had been understanding and reassuring, and at the end of it she had developed a love for him.
However, a first date being an adventure? She’d been very cautious, as while she realised there was nothing to worry about, she hadn’t been on an adventure. He had assured her he would be with her, so there was nothing to worry about.
That had been a great day of exploring the forest and rivers of this area, but they had never climbed the hill on that day.
Now was the time for that.
And in the dark.
“Are you sure no-one else would have had the same idea?” she asked him. “We wouldn’t be intruding on someone’s traditional New Year’s festivities?”
Adam flashed her a quick smile. “I think we’re the only one’s brave enough to be doing this. But it will be worth it.”
The trek up the hill continued in silence as the path to the top steepened. The trees of the forest cleared, though Adam kept the torch on its highest beam to keep an eye out for any rough patches or holes that they might trip up.
The first sign that they were near the top was the singular monument that rested on the hill overlooking the nearby city. When the two of them were stood next to it, they too looked out at the many lights that indicated the city. Further out in the distance, many other lights indicated other towns and a second city far away.
“Wow… This is beautiful…” she breathed.
“A great place to spend the night,” Adam stated. “No matter what way we look, we’ll see the celebrations happening.” He reached down for the suitcase. “Speaking of celebrations…”
Unzipping the suitcase, he pulled forth a phone dock that resembled an old radio, slotted his phone into the middle of it, then tuned into the local radio station.
“…in just thirty minutes,” the host of the station finished.
“Our accommodation can be set up in five,” Adam muttered as he sorted through the bag.
Sarah watched as he pulled out a roll of material and a bundle of short poles. Quickly he slotted poles together, unrolled the material so he could stick those poles through the loops in that material, then connected all the sides together so that it resembled a large pipe that had sunk into the ground. Fit for two people to sit or sleep in.
Dumping the suitcase and bag into the tent to keep it weighted, he then set to work in securing all four corners to the ground.
“And done,” he announced.
Sarah continuing listening to the advert playing, then looked up.
“I make that five minutes, so you were right. You won.”
Adam did a celebratory arm wave and silent cheer, then asked, “What’s my prize?”
“This,” she said, slowly walking towards him. She put her arms around him, pulling him in for a kiss. “Thank you for arranging this,” she whispered to him. “But I am still cold.”
“Thank me later once the celebrations begin and we get a brilliant view of it all. As for the cold, I have something for that.”
He pulled away from her, crawling inside the tent to bring out the suitcase once again. It seemed that suitcase had plenty of gadgets within it. Though they had been on many adventures together, this was the first time they’d been staying the night in the outdoors.
“That should get us warmed up if we need it,” Adam said as he put the device down. “Although I don’t think we’ll need it. We are alone up here and we have time for some fun, don’t we?”
He looked at her with a teasing smile.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, teasing him back. She gave a fake yawn and continued, stretching her arms up as she did so. “It was a long walk, and I am tired. Maybe we should just turn in for the night.”
She waited for his response.
“You miss the celebrations, you’re going in the nearest river tomorrow.”
“Is that meant to be a punishment?” she mocked. “You do know who I am, don’t you?”
“Mmm… I may have forgotten.”
His smile was the opening she needed.
“Then let me show you,” she said in a sultry tone, taking a quick few steps toward him and pulling him in for another kiss.
When they pulled apart, he gave a small nod of his head with a huge smile forming. “Ah, that’s who you are. In that case, I’ll more than likely join you in the river.”
“Our first wild adventure of the new year,” she said softly, “and it’s going to be a wet one.”
“Is that not the best kind of adventure?” he asked in the same soft voice.
“It is when you’re here.”
“And in just ten minutes, we will be welcoming in the new year,” the radio host announced. “These will be your last two songs of the year, so I’ve made sure they’re good ones.”
“We should get settled down to enjoy the celebrations,” Adam stated.
Both sat down on the grass, looking out over the city. Absently, she took a drink from her bottle, thinking back on the past year and how much she had changed.
“Things will be even better next year,” Adam stated, having lay down. “You’ll see. We’ll go further than we’ve been before. There’s plenty to explore around this small country we live.”
She looked down at him, curious.
“How many places had you been to before you met me?” she asked.
“As far north as Clyde Muirshiel Park. As far south as the Quantock Hills. And plenty in between.” He then sat up and looked at her. “But together, we will see it all and more. Trust me.”
They looked into each other’s eyes, and she felt the bonds between them in that stare. They had shared a lot in the past year, and would share a lot more during this next year and beyond.
They blinked at almost the exact same time, which brought them into a hug.
With the radio host announcing a minute left until the new year would be rung in, they stood up. Holding hands, they looked out at the view.
She had a nervous energy to her, as a great wave of nostalgia for the year washed over her. To her, it would always be a great year, no matter what else might have been going on during it.
The countdown to the new year chanted its way out of the radio speakers. On zero, with cries of Happy New Year being made all across the country, two people stood on a hill swung their clasped hands into the air and shouted with them.
“We hope you all have a great year ahead of you!” they both wished, continuing to shout out to the scattered lights of the towns and cities.
Turning to each other, they clasped their other hands together, saying a quieter but no less joyous new year wish to each other.
The first of the fireworks sounded, with both looking back out at the towns and cities. Hundreds of celebrations could be seen, no matter which direction they looked with various varieties of firework patterns painting the air in a riot of colours.
Sarah felt tears of happiness well in her eyes, again overcome by a powerful wave of nostalgia.
“Thank you,” she softly said, still looking out at the view. “For everything you gave me in the year just gone.”
It felt odd to be overcome by so much emotion, but the nine months she had spent with him had been the best of her life. He had opened her to something she really enjoyed, unlocked what she had kept hidden for so long, that her emotions couldn’t be contained.
She leapt around him once again, this time for comfort as all her emotions spilt out of her. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer.
“It’s okay,” he whispered to her. “You’ve given me someone special to share all this with. We’ll be happy together wherever our adventures take us.”
“Were you ever afraid?” she had to ask between sobs. “Of all this?”
“I was.”
Just those two words deepened her love for him more.
He could have given details but chose not to. This was about her, reassuring her once more with just simple words.
When she felt up to pulling herself away from him, she took one last sniff and stepped away. The last of the fireworks were banging away from celebrations still ongoing.
“Here’s to another great year,” she said weakly, taking another sniff.
“Here’s to another great year,” he echoed. “Now let’s get some rest.” He gave her a grin. “I believe there’s some water ready to greet us in the morning.”