"Why do I get the feeling you're acting kinda guilty?" Taylor's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
You've gotta hand it to women's intuition—it's like some unexplainable, mystical force.
"Guilty? Me? I didn't even flinch when I jumped out of a plane at 30,000 feet," Luke shot back.
"What? You did what in a movie? Jumped from 30,000 feet?"
The King of Espionage hadn't hit theaters yet, so Taylor had no clue about the crazy stunts Luke pulled.
Clearly, bringing it up was an easy way to dodge her question.
"It's nothing. Just focus on driving. You'll see when the movie comes out."
"That sounds absolutely insane! Please tell me it wasn't actually dangerous."
"For me? Nah. For anyone else, though…"
"Ugh, you jerk! Quit bragging!"
The two bickered playfully as the car rolled along, heading straight for Big Bear Mountain Park.
It was early winter, and the rolling hills of Big Bear were decked out in a stunning mix of colorful leaves.
Luke hadn't expected to be back at the same place, around the same time of year.
Only this time, the person by his side was different.
Taylor drove the car, winding up the mountain roads through the forest.
When their Hummer reached a familiar open spot halfway up the mountain, she pulled over.
"Aren't we camping at the top?" Luke asked, glancing at the familiar spot and feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.
"We'll set up the tent up there later. For now, I'm taking you somewhere cool."
Luke played dumb. "Where to?"
"There's a little waterfall and creek up ahead. The view's amazing. We'll hike in," Taylor said, grabbing a backpack from the trunk and heading off.
"Hold up. No bears out here, right?" Luke teased, a mischievous grin creeping across his face.
"Don't worry. With all the cars around, any bears would've bolted ages ago. And even if we do see one, I've got this."
Taylor pulled a small canister from her pocket and waved it in front of him.
Luke knew exactly what it was—bear spray.
They reached the familiar trail, now a bit more overgrown than it was a few years ago, but still as rugged as ever.
"This path's kinda rough. Here, take my hand," Taylor said with a smile, reaching out.
Eastern girls might play coy, letting you think you're the hunter.
Western girls? They're the ones doing the hunting.
Faced with Taylor's bold move, Luke chuckled and shook his head. "What, you think I can't handle a trail like this?"
He took off ahead of her.
Taylor froze for a second, caught off guard by his clueless response.
As he passed by, Luke grabbed her hand with his.
"But I'm worried you might trip. Better let me hold on to you," he said with a grin.
"You chauvinist jerk!" Taylor huffed, but her eyes crinkled into crescent moons.
Luke's hand was big, enveloping her soft, pale one.
Even though they'd held hands plenty of times, the warmth from his palm still made her heart skip a beat.
Laughing and chatting, they rounded a bend, and there it was: a small creek cascading down into a crystal-clear pool, a tiny rainbow shimmering in the sunlight.
The view was just as breathtaking as ever.
"Let's get in the water and catch some fish for dinner!" Taylor suggested eagerly.
"The fish in a creek like this are tiny. Even if we caught some, there's barely any meat," Luke said, shaking his head.
"Ugh, you're such a buzzkill! I just wanted an excuse to splash around."
"It's not summer, you know. You're not gonna find that water too cold?"
"It's such clear water. It'd be a shame not to play in it!"
Seeing Taylor so excited, Luke grinned. "There might not be much fish, but there's probably some big blue crabs in the rock crevices. We could grab a few for dinner."
"Really?"
"Yeah, this creek feeds into the Hudson River. Perfect spot for crabs."
"Awesome!"
"You'll need to take off your tights to get in the water. You can change behind that big rock over there," Luke said, pointing to a nearby boulder.
Taylor was wearing a wool skirt and thick black cotton tights.
At his words, a sly smile spread across her face.
"Why go all the way over there? I can just change here."
"Huh?"
"You gonna peek?"
How do you even answer that?
Why do women always seem to have this natural knack for teasing conversation?
Luke smirked. "Do you want me to peek?"
Turning the tables right back on her.
"I want you to see my beauty at every age," Taylor said with a grin.
With that, she slipped off her cashmere coat and laid it on a rock.
Then, slowly, she peeled her tights down from her hips, revealing long, slender legs right in front of Luke.
Holding up the tights, she teased, "I hear guys are into these when they're fresh off?"
Before he could respond, she added, "Especially when they've got a little… scent?"
Luke nearly lost it. Who taught her this stuff?
Then he remembered—it's the internet age, and she's always online. Of course.
"You're not gonna answer? Too scared?" she taunted.
Luke stepped forward, pulling her into a tight embrace.
So soft, yet so solid.
He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "I like your scent, but I'd rather experience it straight from the source. You ready for me to explore every inch of you?"
Taylor hadn't expected such a bold, direct response.
Caught off guard, her cheeks flushed red.
No amount of internet "research" could prepare her for Luke's real-world experience.
"Ugh, you creep! Who said you could do that? Go catch some crabs, or we're not eating tonight!"
Flustered, she stepped into the water.
"Hiss—it's cold!" she yelped.
"Ha! Told you so!"
"You get in here too!"
"Fine, fine. We'll suffer together."
"Where are those crabs you mentioned?"
"Probably under that big rock. I'll check for you."
"No way! Let me do it! I wanna try!"
"Careful—they pinch!"
"Ow! It got me!"
"You okay? Good, it didn't break the skin. Let me grab it."
"No! This is between me and that crab. I'm settling this myself. I'll be careful this time—no problem!"
"Alright, go for it."
"Luke! Look! I got it! It's huge—must be almost a pound!"
"Haha, nice one! We're eating good tonight."
"What? This is my crab. You want one, go catch your own!"
"You little stingy brat!"
Laughter echoed through the valley, full of youthful energy.