A Walk in the Woods

The path wound deeper into the whispering woods, sunlight dappling the forest floor through a canopy of emerald leaves. Birds flitted between branches, their songs a cheerful counterpoint to the nervous thrumming in my chest. Beside me, Jake strode with his usual easy confidence, his laughter echoing around us as he pointed out a particularly gnarled oak.

"Look at that old fellow," he said, a grin splitting his face. "Looks like he’s seen a thing or two. Probably got more stories than the village elder."

I managed a smile, but my gaze kept drifting to his profile, the way his hair caught the light, the strength of his jaw. Every instinct screamed at me to say something, to finally break the dam of unspoken words that had been building between us for months, for years even. *I like you, Jake. I really, really like you.* The words felt too big, too fragile, to be spoken out loud in the vastness of the woods.