Grand Canyon

"Why do we have an Escalade in our driveway?" I search for an explanation in everyone's smiling faces, including Lilith's.

"It's a surprise, Ava," Mum laughs at my dumbstruck reaction and shows us the way to our ride.

We all get into the luxurious car, and I do everything in my power to avoid looking at the person whose eyes are fixed on me. The journey takes almost thirty minutes before we arrive at an aeroplane hangar where various jets are parked. Where on earth are we going?

Christian and Mum head towards two men dressed in pilot uniforms, who probably know and respect Christian. After a brief discussion, Christian asks the three of us to follow their lead as I hold on tightly to Lilith in case Leigh has any intentions.

We trail behind them until they both stop by a shiny black helicopter. The helicopter practically screams 'Boyce' with its bold branding.

"No way," I exclaim in surprise.

At the same time, all four people I consider family smile in unison.

"It feels wonderful to finally surprise a kid," Lilith chuckles, and I don't even bother arguing over her statement. I'm starting to understand and connect with her since our conversation yesterday. Lilith surely enjoys having a sister and having me as the youngest makes her feel warm and secure.

"Sorry," I bite my bottom lip.

"Okay, I'm not going to be polite with you this morning," Lilith complains while Leigh smirks at me.

Two ladies deliver three boxes to the helicopter before Christian starts. "Alright, we should be departing now."

"Where are we going? London?" I ask, looking completely unaware.

Laughing, everyone ignores me as they all board the helicopter. I sit by the window opposite Leigh. He flashes me his enchanting smile and whispers, "So persistent, obsessor." Looking around the small space of the helicopter, with Mum and Christian discussing and Lilith going through her playlist, I intentionally kick Leigh's leg hard until he groans in pain.

The ride is exhilarating as Christian shows me places from thousands of feet away. The Las Vegas Strip, which I watch in awe from a distance, Lake Mead, and fascinating flyovers of the Hoover Dam and the Joshua Tree Forest, as Christian mentions them all. My mouth hangs open as Christian explains everything to me in detail. Despite knowing Leigh's eyes are fixed on me, I do my best to ignore the peculiar feeling in my body and try to concentrate on Christian's commentary.

"It's so beautiful," I murmur.

"Can you take a picture of us?" Lilith hands her phone to her dad.

Christian takes several pictures of Lilith and me, while picky Lilith keeps deleting them. "Dad, these pictures aren't Instagram-worthy."

"I'm trying, girls. I'm not a teenager, remember?" Christian grins and takes another picture of us. "Leigh, take some with your camera. I think that fancy thing of yours can meet all the standards, can't it?" Christian pats his son on the shoulder.

"I don't need his camera. Ava, let's take a selfie." Lilith rolls her eyes at Leigh. She's been mad at him ever since what happened on Wednesday in the cafeteria, and I don't blame her. Leigh is a womanizer.

"Lilith, can you at least be respectful? He's your big brother," Christian chides.

"I don't give a shit if—" Before she finishes her sentence, a flash from Leigh's camera blinds my vision for a second. "What the fuck?" Lilith exclaims.

"Language." Christian and Leigh say in unison. With a smirk on Leigh's lip, he winks.

"Delete that photo from your camera right now," Lilith commands.

"Oh, this should be on Instagram." Leigh chuckles as he looks at the screen of his camera.

"I'm serious, you're going to delete that. I'm not kidding," Lilith angrily warns Leigh as another flash goes off. The more Lilith objects, the more Leigh continues to snap unprepared photos. Lilith ends up giving up and pulls me to pose for Leigh's camera while Christian and Mum laugh at the scene.

After a forty-five-minute flight, Christian welcomes me to the Grand Canyon. With a smile on Mum's face, Christian kisses her on the lips, making the three of us look away.

We land in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by mountains.

It's absolutely breathtaking, like the photos I've seen on geographic TV shows or in scientific books, but this view is so real because I'm actually standing in the midst of it. "This is so beautiful," I say to myself.

"I know, right?" Mum winks at me, and I chuckle at her playfulness.

"We're three thousand two hundred feet below the rim of the canyon," Christian informs me, with Mum in his arms. They look so perfectly adorable together.

"Will we get to go up there?" I point towards the heights.

"You climb?" Leigh asks in surprise.

"No, she doesn't." Mum immediately gives me a don't-even-try look.

Laughing like the charming person he is, Leigh looks away and continues scrolling through the pictures on his camera.

The view is breathtaking, a million times better than the nature surrounding us, and he knows it.

It's hard to tear my eyes away from the beautifully crafted man.

"Don't worry. We'll stop by there after we eat." Christian assures me, and I nod, feeling slightly uneasy as I shake off the strange shivers from staring at oblivious Leigh.

I feel so cheerful about experiencing this adventure with everyone. It's something I've never had before.

I find out that the three boxes dropped in the helicopter contained our food and picnic essentials. We spend over an hour eating and conversing.

I listen to Leigh and Lilith's stories about their first time here, as well as Mum's first-time experience. However, Christian refuses to share his own.

"Dad, did you get lost the first time you came here? Is that why you don't want us to know?" Lilith asks, and Leigh laughs even harder. Mum and I smile as Christian's kids tease him.

"Hey, young people. I was born here. I made it to the Grand Canyon." Christian jokes.

"Oh, I see. How old are you?" Leigh says to his father.

"Okay, okay, let's not talk about my age." Christian bursts into laughter.

"Do you like it here, Ava?" Christian asks me after we're all done eating.

"Yes, it's gorgeous. I think it's the most adventurous place I've set foot in, honestly." I explain just when Leigh's camera flash once again blinds my vision.

Seriously, is he taking pictures without people's consent? And in front of our parents, no less.

With a heavy sigh, I ignore his behaviour and continue telling Christian and everyone about the places I've visited.

"So you've been to Manchester? Liverpool? Newcastle? All the soccer clubs I know," Lilith curiously asks.

"No, I've only visited about ten cities in England, mostly with my aunt. She's a designer, so she travels around for business." I explain.

"That's wonderful." Christian smiles.

We later ascend to a higher point, where I can't help but scream with excitement. Standing on top of a vast mountain surrounded by many others, I feel so minuscule. I pay no mind to the laughter from everyone; I simply let myself soak in the blessing from God, the beauty of the earth, and my sheer luck in witnessing this part of it.

After the excitement subsides, we start taking pictures. Leigh snaps photos of us with his camera, and to get a complete family picture, we politely ask one of our pilots.

With that, we head to another fascinating location—a boat ride where we spend about two hours touring the Colorado River in a pontoon boat. We come across a spot that I name the "mountain-river roundabout." The place is serene and so breathtaking that we all watch in awe.

"We need a photo worthy of Instagram, Ava. Take off your dress," Lilith orders as she starts undressing.

"What? No way," I refuse.

My eyes dart straight to Leigh, who's wearing only briefs (holy goodness, I have to gulp to moisten my suddenly dry throat when I glance south) as he struggles to maintain a neutral reaction to my stubbornness.

"Ava, undress, or I'll do it for you," Lilith insists as she unties her shoes.

"It's not necessary. I'll take the picture in my dress," I stand my ground, feeling my heart rate change. I can't undress in Leigh's presence. That's not happening.

Huffing, Lilith starts pulling on my dress. "I don't want to take off my dress," I say to her as I bite her hand in defence.

"What's happening back there?" Mum calls from the front of the boat.

"Nothing, just girl stuff," Lilith beats me to it, saying, "Help me."

"If you want to impress everyone at Hills High, you need a bikini photoshoot in the midst of nature." A smug glow appears on Leigh's face, clearly entertained by the show I'm putting on.

"I'm serious, Ava. I'm undressing you, whether you like it or not. So, let's do this the easy way or the hard way," Lilith warns me, hands on her hips, waiting for me to choose.

"Besides, no one is watching. It's just us here. Who are you covering up for?" She hisses. When those words leave Lilith's mouth, I immediately feel more uncomfortable. I feel foolish.

But the answer is Leigh. He's supposed to be unattractive and unappealing to me since he's about to become my brother. He's supposed to let me feel comfortable, like every sister feels around her brother. Yet, in a deplorable manner, Leigh Boyce affects me—his touch, his gaze, his scent. Everything about him affects me. He triggers something within me, an odd feeling that I can't seem to resist or control whenever he's around.

With a terrible uneasiness permeating every fibre of my being, I swallow and start untying my white trainers. I can't let Lilith solve my fear. She can't find out what this truly means. So, I grab the hem of my dress and slowly pull it up over my head. I feel more than naked in my purple bra and panties. I feel exposed, but it has to be done.

Forcing myself to breathe, I mentally encourage my organs to cooperate. I feel Leigh's intense gaze burning every inch of my skin. I want to sink into the boat. Glancing over at him, I find his eyes fixed on me, as I suspected. Immediately, I feel the need to cover myself with my arms.

"Let's get started, Leigh," Lilith wraps her hands around me.

Lilith directs me into poses that satisfy her as we snap a dozen pictures. Then, Leigh sets a timer on his camera and rushes to stand in the middle of Lilith and me. No, I was mistaken before—now I really want to sink. His hand curls around my back, my tiny waist, and rests on my abdomen. It feels so different having a man touch my bare skin, especially when that man is the one whose touch gives me the oddest sense of meaning in life.

I stand uneasily next to him, with no clothes separating us, our bodies pressed together. I feel a surge of electrifying emotions inside me—joyful sparks mixed with a warning heat. Once again, I can't breathe, can't function—I'm merely a body whose soul has been stolen. My lips part as I struggle for oxygen. My legs give out, and I unintentionally melt into Leigh's arms as he supports me. He must sense my state because his warm hand begins to draw small circles on a spot on my stomach.

My skin erupts in goosebumps.

I look up to find him staring at me, his eyes undefinable. When our eyes collide, he searches intently for something I'm hiding deep within my heart.

Staring deeply into him, I begin to see through his radiant, covetous eyes. I begin to see something I should be afraid of—something I know is wrong because, at this very moment, he looks at me with solid desire and possession that spell danger and harm.

I quickly turn away just in time for another flash from the camera.

Stepping away from Leigh, I hastily grab my dress and put it back on to cover myself.

"Send me the pictures as soon as we get home," Lilith joyfully tells her brother.

"Instagram, here we come," she sings.