4

Three months had passed, and Danica had sort of moved on. She had gotten rid of all the physical reminders of Levi, such as pictures and clothing, and removed him from all social media.

He had come groveling back when he came to collect his things, and Danica had to remind him that he was married and expecting a child now. Cara had stoned him down with bags of his personal belongings.

Danica tried to stay busy after that, so she didn't  dwell on the breakup. She established new habits and activities to find closure. One such activity was hiking. She joined a hiking group and dragged Cara into it. Cara wasn't  too much into it but went the first time with her and then called it quits after that. So Danica, just continued alone.

Saturday would be the third time she was going. They were going to explore the Maracas Waterfall. When Saturday came around, Danica was up bright and early excited and ready to explore every inch of the trail. She quickly took a bath, dressed and was out the door and speeding to her new adventure.

The designated starting point was easily accessible to all, and when she got there, there was already a group of people talking. Danica got out of the car and took a deep breath, appreciating the fresh air and the smell of nature around her. She gathered her backpack and other items out of the car and joined them.

The group that was there, was a mix of experienced hikers and novices, but they all seemed to get along well.They were chatting about the trail, the weather and their plans for after the hike, while they waited for the others to arrive.

The group kept growing as more people arrived, and soon, there were 15 people. Of the 15, five were new, and they were asked to introduce themselves and their reasons for joining the hiking club. The group's  diverse mix of personalities and experience levels always created an interesting dynamic. The experienced hikers would share

their knowledge and expertise with the novices, while the novices were eager to learn and ask questions. The conversation was lively and engaging.

When everyone was comfortable and the trail explained, a roll call was done to make sure everyone was accounted for and the rules given. They were then introduced to the spotters, whose job was to make sure everyone stayed on the designated trail. Two of the spotters she was seeing for the first time, and they were brothers. Danica didn't  know they were part of the club because they weren't there for the last two hikes.

They were paired off, using the buddy system, and she was paired with Justin, one of the spotters. He smiled at her, revealing cute dimples in either cheek, which took away from his bad boy look with all the tattoos and piercings. He was friendly and approachable despite his tough looking exterior.

His brother came over before they started, and he was equally tattooed and pierced up, but there was something about him that was intriguing. His name was Xan, and even though he had the same tough exterior as Justin, she couldn't  help but feel drawn to him. There was a spark of chemistry as he talked with his brother, including her. He surprised her by asking his brother if they could switch buddies, but Justin refused, and she stared after him when he went back to the person.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***