Darjeeling

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." - Jawaharlal Nehru

We had spent the night huddled together, beside the roaring bonfire, until the sun began to rise. My eyes were still heavy with sleep but Dylan insisted we wake up early to go 'exploring'. We packed all the equipment into the car before hopping in ourselves.

Despite my annoyance at his secretive behaviour, I was excited to see what he had planned next. "Did you sleep well?" he asked. I nodded. The thick blanket had provided enough warmth and comfort to last the night.

"Good." He smiled at me, not even faltering when I didn't return it. "First we're going to get some breakfast. I know a small diner not too far from here which is open twenty four hours. They serve the best waffles I have ever tasted, and I have eaten a lot of waffles." He chuckled.

I just shrugged and allowed him to drive us to the Waffle House. As soon as we had opened the door, the sweet smell of waffle being made wafted into my nostrils. I took a deep breath of the welcoming smell before scurrying after Dylan, who had grabbed a booth overlooking the sea.

"This is the best view in the whole of the restaurant. Here you can see the little islands in the distance, the birds flying over the highest point if the mountain, the sun setting behind the sea. It's beautiful." He said wistfully.

"Shall we order?"

What do you suggest?

"Well the banoffee waffle is good. I usually get that one. But it depends if you want fruits or more chocolaty waffles."

I think I'm going to get the raspberry waffle. I replied after glancing at the menu card in my hand.

"That's a brilliant choice. In fact I was going to choose it myself. I might get the apple and cinnamon though, just to change things a bit." He grinned at me. I just pursed my lips and looked out the window again.

"So why did you stop speaking?" he asked after we had ordered.

I don't want to talk about it.

"Well that's very ironic considering you're not actually talking." He chuckled. I glared angrily at him. "Sorry." He smiled sheepishly.

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if everything happened the way you wanted it to?

"Life would be very boring."

But how would it be boring if it's everything you wanted?

"Because it becomes predictable in the end. If there were no surprises or no wrong decisions then we'd be living a very simple life. We'd be living each moment with no excitement. With no happiness."

Of course you'd be happy if your life was going the way you wanted it to.

"Not necessarily. After a while you crave a change but don't know what the change is. So if you don't know what the change is, how can you decide which change you want? How do you know the change will be good? See even if you had planned out exactly how you wanted your life to turn out, there will be something that will change the course you set because you're not the only one in your life.

Many other people influence the direction in which you travel and you can't factor them into the equation. They will come and go, each person very different from the next and there's nothing you can do about it."

Sure you can. You can decide whether you want that person in your life or not.

"But by then they would have already been part of your history. By the time you decided you don't want them in your life they've already been in there and made a mark on your past."

What if I didn't want someone in my life?

"You may not want them in your future but they will always be in your past. You can't erase what's already happened. You can't go back in time."

Yeah... I had nothing else to say. Thankfully our waffles arrive so I wasn't obliged to talk any more, instead I concentrated on my beautifully made waffle. Along with the tangy raspberries they had added bananas and a caramel drizzle. I stared at the plate before picking up my cutlery.

The second bite was just as good as the first one. And soon I had nothing left in my plate. I looked sorrowfully at my white plate, wishing for more. "Would you like anything else sir?" A waitress asked as she approached our table. She looked at Dylan with a predatory look in her eyes while her face was composed as innocently as possible. The first few buttons of her shirt were unbuttoned giving both, me and Dylan a clear view of her assets.

"Elise would you like something?" he smiled at me. I just shook my head shyly. "Okay we'll have the banoffee waffle after all. Oh and another coffee and tea please." He requested, looking at her in the eyes. Never once did his eyes stray to any other part of her body and for that I was glad. I was insecure about my appearance, but in front of Dylan I was even more so. With all my doubts and reservations, I hated each girl that approached us. Each girl he spoke to meant one more reason to leave me in the middle of nowhere.

I had told him I trusted him, and I did, but that didn't mean I could trust myself. I was afraid of many things, Dylan leaving me was one of them.

Dylan looked at me with a odd look in his eyes. "You're a hard girl to figure out Elise."

What do you mean?

"Well I know that girl wanted to get into my pants, which by the way was never going to happen, it was quite obvious. But you? I can't tell what you're feeling."

Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe you shouldn't try and figure me out. You won't like what you see.

"Maybe. But what if I uncover the most wonderful thing on the world, just hidden inside you?"

The world is full of what ifs.

"That is very true. Now eat up we have somewhere else to be." He winked, pushing the plate of banoffee waffle to me.

I don't want it.

"Of course you do. I saw you looking longingly at your plate. I know you want to. Go on." He grinned.

Half and half?

"Fine we'll half it." He chuckled, grabbing his own fork and knife before digging in. I was slower to react but before my fork touched the waffle he thrust his fork in my face. I cocked my head to the side, frowning. He chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"Here you have the first taste." He grinned at me. I rolled my eyes and leaned forward to take the morsel. My eyes widened in excitement. "It's good right?" He smirked. I nodded sheepishly. He chuckled softly and cut the waffle in half, well more than half, before giving me the bigger part.

That's not half.

"I know that. Just thought you need to fatten up a bit." He winked.

This isn't Hansel and Gretel and you're not the wicked witch are you?

"No, I'm the wicked wizard." He chuckled, winking.

Oh no! I just looked at him flatly before taking an indulgent bite of the waffle, making sure my fork containing a little of everything on the plate. Within minutes I had demolished my half and waited patiently as Dylan ate his.

What's you surname? I scribbled on to the napkin, once I had stopped doodling on it.

"Does it matter?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

No, not really I guess.

"On that note, we should really get going." He announced. I just nodded, while scooping up my notebook and thrusting it in my bag. Dylan walked at a fast pace than usual, so I hurried to catch up to him.

So what are we doing today? I typed into my phone.

"We're going on an adventure. I haven't exactly planned out these next nineteen days, I'm just going with the flow. And so should you. Relax a bit. It'll be fun, I promise. Otherwise there's a thirty day smile back guarantee." He winked as the almost permanent grin appeared on his face.

I sighed deeply, before settling in my seat. "Why the sad sigh?"

I don't know what I'm doing.

"You're going on an adventure with me." He smirked.

I know THAT. But what am I doing here with you? I should be at the café drinking my tea out of a china cup and eating lemon cupcakes, writing in my diary. And you should be there, serving customers with that warming smile of yours. This wasn't meant to happen and I've let it.

"The thing is that you can't control everything that ever happens in you life. You have to go with the flow. You met me, because you were meant to meet me."

There's no such thing as fate. I don't believe in it. I won't believe it.

"I can't convince you to believe in anything, but I can open your eyes to show you what you're missing. Now chin up, let's go on this adventure. Do you have hiking boots by any chance?"

Yeah sure. Let me just grab them out my bag. I looked at him pointedly.

"Alright Little Miss Sarcasm. Next stop, the outdoors' shop." With that he started the engine, and didn't say another word. I felt unsettled throughout the journey. I was already too far out my comfort zone and Dylan was taking me out even further. I wasn't sure if I would be able to find my way back. I wasn't sure if I could survive long enough to get back.

Not long before we reached the original destination Dylan stopped the jeep and hopped out. "Mi lady," he bowed as he opened my door. I just rolled my eyes and jumped out.

"Can I help you sir?" A young sales asisstant approached us as we browsed the small selection of hiking boots they had on show.

"Yeah we need a pair of hiking boots. Size 6. We're in a hurry, so if you could do that quickly that'll be nice." Dylan smiled gratefully.

"I have just the pair you need." He said enthusiastically, rushing away to grab a pair off the shelf. "How do you like these?" He showed me a pair of grey, ankle high boots with pinks streaks across it. I looked at him flatly.

Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I like pink. I scribbled on the page, as I collected the bag containing my new hiking boots. Dylan laughed.

"That guy was a sexist pig." He agreed.

I know! What was his problem? I frowned.

"I don't know, but I'm glad we got that sorted out quickly though. Now we can go on an adventure." He winked.

I'm so excited. I looked at him unimpressed.

"Oh cheer up. It'll be fun! I promise."

After about an hour of me staring out the window, absorbing the blur of colour we arrived at our destination... a forest.

We're not going hiking are we? Because that's not adventurous at all.

"How do you not find hiking adventurous?" he asked.

It's just a lot of walking for nothing.

"Well good thing we're not hiking then. It might be a good idea to wear your boots now coz we do need to go into the forest." He instructed. I nodded and opened my door so I could stick my legs out. I pulled my boots off and wiggled my toes before pulling on the hiking shoes. Since they were new, the laces were stiff so I had trouble tying them when Dylan's hand extracted the ends from my own and tied up my boots.

I nodded my thanks, allowing him to help me up. I stretched my arms and my legs, shaking out the weariness. I took a deep breath of the fresh air, letting the gentle breeze caress my hair. For the first time in a long time my mind was clear, I wasn't haunted by my thoughts.

"Come on then, let's not waste this day of adventure." Dylan grinned at me, raising an eyebrow. I rolled my eyes and took his outstretched hand. We walked into the forest in silence, being slowly consumed by nature. I looked behind to see that the parking lot became smaller and more concealed the further we ventured. The fallen leaves crunched under our boots, the ground became damper and the smell became muskier. It was refreshing. It was a different atmosphere to the city- but I couldn't tell if it was a good or a bad kind of different. I just felt different.

Contrary to my thoughts, the noise increased the deeper into the forest we walked. I heard the squealing of children, the laughter of their parents, shouts of instructors. It became more confusing for me the louder the noises got.

Al's Adventure Rope Course was carved into a plank of wood and raised on wood planks. I frowned at Dylan. "Oh don't look at me like that. This will be fun. Trust me." He smirked. I sighed silently. "Great, come on then."

"Two adults for the whole day please." Dylan requested.

"Sure. That'll be forty five dollars please." The girl at the counter replied. Dylan reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He handed over his credit card and with a beep the transaction was done. We were handed two wristbands before being directed to the safety area. I look hesitantly at Dylan, but his reassuring smile made me feel safer. I took a deep breath and lifted my chin up, a sign of confidence which I didn't think I had. We listened to the safety instructions before we were fitted with a harness and a helmet. Dylan brought us each a pair of gloves because apparently the ropes could burn our fingers. I scrunched my nose in distaste as the foul smell of old sweat wafted from inside the gloves.

"Yeah sorry about that, I couldn't find a clean pair. Trust me, I smelt all of them." He smiled sheepishly.

You smelt all of them? I typed into my phone.

"I think my nose is a bit raw from all the sniffing." He laughed. "Now, let's not waste any more time. I think we should start off with the red course, and then eventually work our way to the black course. How does that sound?" He suggested. I nodded in agreement.

"Great now let's go." He grinned, grabbing my hand and dragging me to the first rope course. I tripped over my feet to catch up to his pace. "You go first." He insisted. I made a face at him but he wasn't having it and made me climb the rope first. I clutched on to the rope tightly as I made my way slowly across to the next viewing platform. I never looked down, because I was too afraid of failing off. Dylan helped me clip my carabiner to the ropes. He was right behind me the whole time and for that I couldn't have been more grateful. I think the most fun rope course was the swing rope; all I had to do was sit down and let gravity do its work. I liked the feeling of the air in my hair, and the freedom I felt up in the treetops. It was a release from the constraints of the ground. When I was at home I felt like there were vines growing around my body tightening around my limbs each step I took. In my room the ivy vines tightened around my neck. I couldn't breathe in that small, dark room of mine and yet I called it my room.

All I knew was that this new feeling of adventure gave my weary soul a new life, and that I loved it. I was and always have been so apprehensive of change and in the last few days I'm starting to get used the change. With Dylan I felt alive, invigorated. "Hurry up a little, you're taking your own sweet time," Dylan called out. I snapped out of my daydream, I realised I was standing in the middle of a bridge and there was quite a build up behind me. I shook my head and continued walking.

"You lapse into your daydream world a lot," Dylan stated as we were taking our harnesses off. I nodded and shrugged my shoulders. "Lets get something to eat." He suggested.

What do you suggest?

"Something local I guess. I haven't planned everything! I'm not that organised." He laughed.

And here I was thinking you had thought everything through.

"Well excuse me for disappointing you little miss sunshine."

Shut up. I glared at him as he just smirked.

"Lets go." He urged.

Where are we going?

"Across the country."