I lean my head backwards a bit to rest it against something firm. My shoulders and back ache a bit and I need to get more comfortable sitting here while I read. It is getting cold, but I am not ready to go back inside. Being outdoors on a day like this is perfect and I'm not ready to budge. Fully immersed in my book, I return to reading now that my back has more support. Moments later, and certainly not to my surprise, I hear footsteps crunching on the nearby fallen leaves and Helena shouting my name.
"Myka?"
I giggle. She'll never find me here. Not like I am hiding from her, I was just looking for a good quiet place to read this afternoon.
"Myka?"
"Over here!"
Helena looks around, doing a complete 360° turn and I am nowhere in sight.
"Up here!" She looks up at the tree closest to her and sees me sitting there, casually waving at her.
Helena puts her hands on her hips, looking a bit peeved that I am sitting up in a tree. "What on earth are you doing up there?"
I raise the book in my hands upwards so she can see what I am holding. "Reading."
"I see that. Why there?"
I shrug. "Just felt like it."
Helena looks at the tree, at where I am and shakes her head, brushing her hair behind her ears. She lunges towards the tree and begins to climb up towards where I am seated. With arms stretched out, Helena grasps at the branches as she pulls and kicks her way upwards.
"I had no idea you could climb trees." I say.
"You forget that I had brothers." She pulls herself up and sits on a branch across from me. "Besides, it's significantly easier without a dress."
"Hi." Helena says to me once she has her bearings on the tree limb. Her hair has been a bit mussed in the process; beautiful as always though.
"Hi."
I continue reading, Helena continues staring at me, looking up and down this tree in which we're seated. She's curious, pressing the limbs and gathering how much weight each one can hold.
We spend a good 30 minutes quietly relaxing together. Comfortable silence. I occasionally point out something interesting in my book, she points to fuzzy caterpillars and pretty leaves she finds in the tree. Our peaceful surroundings are interrupted by the crunch of feet as Pete approaches. He's clearly looking for us, but neglects to look up.
"Shall we scare him?" Helena whispers to me.
I nod my head. Helena and I make eye contact for a brief second as she waits for Pete to get into a good position beneath us. She quietly counts to three and we disengage ourselves from the branches, landing directly on Pete.
Pete loudly and repeatedly shrieks and we can't help but laugh as we tackle him with hugs.