A Risky Venture

He wandered into the forest at night, a foolish idea now that he thought about it. But he had promised Layla that he would meet her by the lake in the middle of the forest to stargaze. And he didn’t want to stand her up. So here he was, taking the risk of entering the forest, in the middle of the night. Thankfully it was a full moon night, and the moonlight lit his path up, guiding him to the lake. He was sure he would have tripped and fallen somewhere to be found by predators.

The smallest sounds spooked him as he trekked along the path. Shadows made him jump. The forest had an ominous feel to it even lit up as it was in the moonlight. He could hear the howling of wolves that lived in the forest, the owl hooting, each sound echoing. He felt like he was being watched, his head constantly swiveling to the sides to check if he was being followed, or worse yet, stalked by some predator.

Soon he could hear the flowing water, smell the wet soil. He knew he was near the meeting point. The thought of seeing Layla excited him. She was, after all, why he had decided to risk walking through the forest at night. Breaking through the tree line, he didn’t see her. He walked closer to the lake, breathing a sigh of relief seeing a figure sitting there. He jogged up to her, gently tapping her shoulder so as not to spook her. She did startle a bit regardless but turned around and graced him with a beaming smile. Her smile made his heart swell, a longing sigh escaping him unbidden.

He sat down beside her, both gazing up at the sky, staring at the stars that littered the vast expanse. He glanced over to look at her, the serenity on her face bringing a smile to his face. Feeling his gaze on her, she turned to look at him too, a question in her eyes. He took a breath, feelings his heart pounding, his nerves shot. He held out his hand for her. She placed her hand in his, feeling him squeeze it in return. Holding her hand, he decided to take the leap. He knew nothing would happen if he did not take the risk.

So, closing his eyes, he centered himself, calmed his nerves. He then opened his eyes, staring into her, gently squeezing her hand. He poured his heart out to her, the stars the only witness to his confession. His words moved her to tears, a smile on her face as she listened to him. Once he finished talking, she just hugged him, her reciprocating confession muffled by his t-shirt.

He had risked his heart tonight, but his gamble had paid off. She loved him just as much as he loved her. Maybe, risks weren’t always bad. Sometimes you had to take the risk or risk losing a chance.