Member-only story
He Was Married. I Wasn’t Looking for a Trail Buddy
Spoiler: The trail led straight to my last nerve.
Let me set the scene.
Every Saturday morning, a group of us meets at the base of Creekside Trail. We’ve been doing it for two years. Same faces, same muddy boots, same post-hike coffee ritual.
It’s my favourite part of the week. Nobody’s selling anything. Nobody’s performing. You walk, breathe, and talk.
That’s where I met Daniel.
He joined the group about three months ago. Friendly enough. Knowledgeable about birds and native plants, which earned him instant points with the nature nerds in our crowd.
We talked plenty on those hikes. Most of our conversations happen when you’re moving through trees and are not expected to maintain eye contact.
Then he asked for my number. For the group chat, he said.
There was already a group chat. I was already in it. But okay.
The texts started casually. A meme about trail etiquette. A photo of a hawk he spotted mid-week. Then longer messages. About work stress. About feeling something when nobody around him gets him.
That’s when I asked: Are you married?
