Falling into Hope [GxG]

Chapter 20

My parents and Hope's parents arranged transportation for us for the rest of our trip after everything that happened with Hope. They just want to make sure that we will have immediate transportation if anything happens like that again. We had to wake up super early in the morning to get to our destination in Switzerland. This was one of the hardest places to decide what we wanted to do while there, but we ultimately decided on a guided excursion of the Swiss National Park.

Safe to say that was one of the longest car rides I have ever been on. I slept for two hours, and we still had three and a half more to go. It was like looking at a clock, and you swear two hours have gone by, but it's only been five minutes.

"We'll see you in about six-seven hours," I told our driver before he drove off to do who knows what. I turned around and walked to where Hope was.

"That was horrible," I said to Hope as I stretched my body. Every limb of mine was stiff.

"Yeah, it wasn't the best, but look, this place is gorgeous. It's already worth the long drive." I finally looked up and took in all the scenery around me.

"You're right, definitely worth it." I was always so torn between the mountains and the beach.

"I'm always right." I looked over at her and rolled my eyes, and she stuck her tongue out at me in retort.

"Our snacks are packed, correct?" I was going over our inventory list.

"Yes. Snacks, water, sunscreen, bug repellant." She continued with listing off what we had, and I checked the items off along the way.

The guide led us through the forest with tall, beautiful pine trees. The trees only filtered in small sporadic patches of the sun, preventing us from becoming overheated. I felt absorbed into the nature around me and welcomed her fresh air into my lungs. Serenity flowed with the wind circling around and bringing peace to the deepest parts of your soul.

Once we got further in elevation, you could feel the temperature drop. Hope and I had packed jackets just for this portion of the hike. Luckily we were moving into a part of the path that was more sparse in trees, so we were more exposed to the sun. The way the sun danced across my skin and warmed me up gave me a wholesome feeling; it made me disconnect from all the horrible, stressful things going on in my life at the moment. All I could feel at this moment was the wind, the sun, and Hope's guiding hand in mine. My eyes closed, soaking in everything going on around me through the rest of my other senses. I used each one to remain present and not let my mind drift to the catastrophic events that have taken place in the last few months of my life.

Along the way, we saw an immense amount of wildlife. Hope pointed out every single one we came across with excitement. Looking at how her eyes lit up, I could see the happiness that was consuming her soul. Her happiness seemed to revive even the darkest parts of my soul. Her smile was by far the best view the whole hike, but the view from where we reached the end of our hike was a close second. It overlooked the deepest parts of the forest; you could see the sun causing the lakes to shimmer, the birds flying carefree.

Our descent down the mountain seemed to be a lot faster than when we ascended. The journey to somewhere always seems a little longer than heading back. Maybe the anticipation makes us impatient, who knows? We finished just a little over six hours later, and once we hit the parking lot, our driver was already there waiting for us. Our parents decided to set us up in hotels; our protests against them were futile.

Once we were in our hotel room, I noticed our luggage was already up here. Oh, nice of the staff and our driver. Hope and I took turns showering, then went and got food from the restaurant downstairs. There's nothing we love more than food, except maybe sleep, especially Hope. She was always sleepy but always fought through it. I feel like she faked having high energy till it actually manifested.

Once we got back up to our room, I went straight to our balcony to get some fresh air. It seems every high is paired with a low. All-day, I was distracted, and now I feel as if I'm back in reality. I felt a hand softly touch my shoulder; I didn't look back because I already knew it was Hope.

"Everything okay?" I shrugged.

"I'm fine." She hummed at this.

"Right. I don't believe you." I sighed and rested my head on my hand that was propped up by my elbow.

"I'm just feeling low, is all. It feels like I just stepped out of a fairytale back to reality, and reality sucks." She just looped our arms and hugged my arm closely while leaning her head on my shoulder.

"I feel that way sometimes too, but I've learned that those fairytales were reality too. The good and the bad are always there; you just choose which one you want to focus on. People get so caught up on if the glass is half empty or half full when they forget that it can always be refilled." I leaned my head against hers at this point.

"I never thought about it like that." She unhooked our arms and looked at me.

"You're supposed to acknowledge and sort through the bad, don't by any means completely stuff it down or dismiss it, just don't let it consume you." I brought her in for a hug.

"Thank you for always seeming to have the right words to say." She lightly chuckled.

"Always." I pulled her in a little tighter at that moment. I wish this fairytale would never end, but I know that's wishful thinking.