Someone beat me to the bench.
It was the first thing Dev noticed as he arrived to the clearing at the end of the path. The trailhead was set a hundred feet back from the edge of the bluff. The stone bench where people liked to sit stood below an ancient oak and was angled to face east. The sky was lightening gradually but he’d arrived in time for the main event. It was still too dim to see anything more than his companion’s silhouette.
At first, Dev thought to steer clear—no one came to the bluff because they wanted to chat. Though, he might give a wave and make conversation once the sun rose. He could fan out wide, sit on the grass and enjoy a glorious view of the sun rising over the valley. There was plenty of beauty for them both. Only, the closer he got, the more the silhouette on the bench became unmistakable. Even half-covered by a baseball cap and shrouded in darkness, it was hard to miss Shea’s pouf of hair.