The realisation dawns on me and I feel panic rise in my chest. Simon starts to laugh and I’m torn between the embarrassment of the situation and the pure joy that fills me at the sound of his chuckles. ‘I am such an idiot.’
“Stop laughing!’’ I playfully push him away, but he grabs my hand and brings me back to him. “Why are you laughing?’’
I laugh with him without meaning to. A mischievous glow lights up his golden eyes.
“Did you need one?’’ he asks, suddenly lifting up his shirt.
I squeal as I half-hide my eyes. I still can’t help but to steal a glance at his body before turning around. The image of him pulling his shirt over his head, revealing his large, muscular chest, haunts me as I stare into the forest. My cheeks and ears are burning, a sure sign I’m as red as a tomato.
His shirt and pants fly past me as he throws them further. I hear him splash a little in the water as he chuckles.
“You can turn around now,’’ he says playfully.
I let out a sigh, walking away from the window for the tenth time and back to the living room, falling back on the couch. It was no use any way to look for Simon between the trees, the sun had set almost an hour ago, and I could barely see half the yard.I had spent the last nine hours fighting my anxiety and hoping for Simon to come back soon. I had tried to call Alice earlier, but it had gone straight to voicemail. She must have let her phone die again. I had to resist the urge to text Nick so he could tell her to charge it.In hopes of distracting myself from worrying, I had explored the parts of the house I hadn’t had the chance to visit yet: a dozen bedrooms and nearly as many washrooms later, it stopped being as exciting.I had decided to open one last door before calling it quits and finding something else to do when I had found a luxurious study. I had almost decided to walk across the den to look through the piles of paper and satisfy my curiosity
I jump at the sound of a knock on the door. I swiftly turn around to find my mom sweetly smiling at me. “Are you sure this is a good idea?’’ mom asks as I fold a T-shirt and pile it in my suitcase. “You’ve never even been out of Washington, Sophie, aren’t you going to be homesick? And driving at might is never safe, especially with a bus!’’ “I’ll be fine mom,’’ I laugh. “Besides, Nick and Alice will be there with me.’’ I bite my cheek as I zip up the last of my luggage. Mom smiles at me again and I can see in her eyes that she knows how nervous I am. She pulls me in for a hug and I hold my breath, trying to avoid the humiliation of crying for so little. What 18 year old girl would cry at the thought of leaving on a beach vacation with her bestfriend and her boyfriend for two weeks? “Alright then,’’ she grabs one of my bags, “I’ll leave this at the door and you can come down when you’re ready.’’ I can see she’s also getting emotional, so I than
“Alice will never get over how chill your parents are,’’ Nick snickers. “She told me hers threatened to change the locks before she came back. They fight a lot.’’ I laugh nervously, not knowing how to respond. It seemed I always heard of Alice’s life when I was with Nick, which wasn’t surprising considering they had been best friends since kindergarten. I did understand why Alice would feel jealous though. Mom and dad always supported my decisions, even when they thought I was making the wrong ones, which wasn’t too often. I had always thought my parents were basically perfect. They never fought, raised me and cared for me through the toughest years of my life without complaint and gave me everything I needed. I had always wondered why they hadn’t had more kids. I knew they had wanted more. We had a couple of empty bedrooms. As Nick pulls into a half-empty parking lot, I look around in search of long, curly red hair in the small crowd on the sidewalk.
I suddenly wake up, startled by the chatter around me. I stretch out my sore arms and legs and yawn, looking around for Alice or Nick. I notice we are at some sort of bus stop or resting area. I look at my phone, surprised to see it is past eight. I walk out of the bus, and look at the old beat up restaurant in front of me: Wild Coyote Saloon. “Hey, sleepy head!’’ Nick yells from the door of the restaurant. I smile and jog up to him. “Finally awake, I see. I can’t believe you didn’t wake up once! This is like, our third stop.’’ “I’m a heavy sleeper, what can I say?’’ I chuckle as he pulls me in for a kiss. I quickly pull away, a weird feeling in my stomach. “Do they have a bathroom in there?’’ Nick gives me a strange look, but nods and points to a door inside the restaurant. I clutch my bag and walk into the bathroom, locking myself up in a stale. My chest feels tight and I feel a pull in my stomach. What is wrong with me? I try to slow down my breath
I wipe my forehead with my sleeve, stopping for a second. “Come on, Soph, the lady said it wasn’t too far.’’ Nick encourages me. I continue pulling my suitcase on the bumpy road that seems to lead to nowhere. The sun was hitting hard and I was still wearing a hoodie and an old pair of joggers, and my lack of breakfast made everything more painful. The thirty-five passengers of the bus were all walking on the side of the road, pulling all of their luggage behind them and grunting profusely. The owner of the beat-up restaurant had told the driver there was a small town a little way down what looked like a private road. And a little way was beginning to become an hour-long walk under the scorching sun. I was all for a little exercise, but this didn’t cut it for me. “Oh, my god, we’re here!’’ Alice exclaims, pointing to a large sign on the side of the road. “Moonstone Fall’’ she reads with a suspicious look on her face. I see a couple of building
I smile as I fold back the letter. I can’t hold in an excited giggle at the thought to see my aunt in less than two months. I grab my phone, dialing my mom to tell her the good news about her sister. After a couple of rings, she picks up. “Hey, Sophie! Is everything okay?’’ Dad asks on the other end of the line. I’m a little surprised that he picked up mom’s phone. “I’m okay. Is mom there?’’ “Oh, yeah, she’s driving. Let me put you on speaker phone.’’ “Sophie! I’m so happy you called!’’ I laugh at how desperate she sounds. Mom and I were always close, and we hardly ever fought. “I’m fine mom, though we did get into some kind of situation...’’ “Do you want us to come get you?’’ Dad asks, cutting me off. “Don’t be ridiculous, Marc. I’m sure she doesn’t want us meddling in her affairs.’’ My mom chimes in with a smile in her voice. “Though, if you do need us to come, we will be there.’’ She adds seriously, making me chuckle.
As we are walking back to the entrance of the hotel, we cross Grant who has his eyes locked on Alice. She winks at us and splits, joining him at his table. Nick and I pretend not to notice and go back to our rooms. “Want to join me?’’ Nick asks before closing his door. He smiles sweetly and I nod. I step into an identical room to mine, except for the TV, which is on. He invites me to sit on his bed with him and I follow him, more than happy to cuddle a bit. I barely have time to sit next to him before his lips are on mine. I let out a surprised giggle, but kiss him back. His lips become a little more pressing as they trail down my neck and onto my collar bone. His hand grabs my hip, squeezing softly before he slips his fingers under my shirt. He grazes my ribs and I can’t help but feel a little ticklish. Nick pulls up my shirt and I let him pass it over my head. His lips hungrily come back on mine and he places himself between my legs. I start to feel
A light knock on the door breaks my fixation on the cardboard box I was staring down. It had gotten here almost an hour ago, but I hadn’t built up the will to eat it yet. Hell, I didn’t even know what it was. I turn my gaze back to my untouched meal, deciding I didn’t feel like answering the door twice in the same hour. I felt drained. The person behind the door knocks again. “Sophie?’’ I hear Alice say from the other side of the door. “If you need to talk, I’m here for you.’’ She sounds worried and sincere. I sigh as I get up, dragging the pile of blankets behind me. I really don’t want Alice to feel bad over something that has nothing to do with her. And I especially don’t want her hearing only Nick’s side of the story. I unlock the door and open it a crack before heading back to the bed. I hear the lock click back into place as Alice closes the door behind her, following me silently. She looks at me with pity in her eyes and I already regret letting her in