Chapter 36. Let Me Show You My World

Athena

I looked at my phone, it was already past one in the morning. “Another stop? Tristan, it’s late.”

“Trust me,” he said, and something in his voice told me this was important. “There’s something I want to show you.”

We drove through empty streets, the city asleep around us except for the occasional taxi or late-night delivery truck. The air was cool against my face, carrying the scents of night-blooming flowers and the promise of dawn still hours away.

When Tristan finally pulled over, we were at the base of a hill I didn’t recognize. The incline rose steeply ahead of us, covered in wild grass and dotted with oak trees that looked ancient in the moonlight.

“What are we doing here?” I asked, but he was already off the bike and walking toward the path that wound up the hillside.

“There’s something I think you’ll love,” he said, taking my hand and tugging me along behind him.

We climbed in comfortable silence, our footsteps muffled