Chapter 20 #2
A breeze rippled through them. Lucas glanced up at the sky. It was cloudy above them, but in the distance, gray clouds loomed. Rain would be here soon. He hoped Mia wouldn’t take much longer. He didn’t want them getting wet.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said finally. ‘It’s not any of my business. I shouldn’t be asking you these questions.’
She smiled faintly. ‘It’s OK. It’s not really any of my business anymore either. Jake and I are on a break. I guess we need some space away from each other …’
‘Really?’ Lucas tried to keep his tone even, but it was tricky. Internally, his thoughts were all over the place. What exactly did a break mean? Surely that was a good sign. After all, Jake was so far away now.
And she was sitting here with him now – so close.
Too close.
‘I’m only surprised you took so long to come back,’ he teased. ‘How could you resist not seeing our camp again? It missed you.’
She grinned back. ‘It was hard, Luc. I promise you that. I guess my new life just overtook me.’
He sat back a little. The cheese was still on his lap, so he carefully unwrapped it, taking his time. He noticed Willow was staring out into the distance, totally lost in thought. He wanted to leave her to it.
So, he ate slowly, trying hard not to disturb her.
It was quiet around them, except it wasn’t – not if you really listened to all the sounds.
This was something that Lucas had always loved, the fact that the noises drowned out the clutter in his head.
Here he could focus on the sound of the rushing water, the wind moving through the trees and the chirping of insects.
He could finally allow himself to be at peace.
It was noise, but it was quiet at the same time and that wonderful juxtaposition fascinated him.
‘We did this before, didn’t we?’ Willow said suddenly. ‘Just sat here so still. We didn’t talk all the time.’
‘We didn’t always need to.’
Sometimes after a busy day at school, or if it was in one of the school breaks after a crazy session playing, they would come here and flop, content in their own company, never forcing the silences with unnecessary chatter.
They didn’t need to. They had been the type of friends that could just be together without a word said between them.
Often, they could communicate without even talking; they were that connected.
‘But other times, we would talk about nonsense …’ Willow continued. ‘Do you remember that argument we had about what to name our pet fish?’
Lucas chuckled as his memory resurfaced. It had been another failed attempt to catch a fish with Lucas’s very battered and old rod. They had agreed that if they caught anything, they would keep it as a pet. It would be shared between them, and they would love it equally.
‘You wanted to call it Phil. That’s a stupid name for a fish,’ he said.
‘That’s my grandfather’s name, God rest his soul,’ Willow replied, her eyes twinkling. ‘It’s the perfect name for a noble pet.’
‘Why are you so sure he would be noble? Surely, he was more likely to be foolish? He got himself lured into a trap after all,’ Lucas reasoned. ‘I still think Goldie is more suitable.’
‘He was hopeful, that’s all, following the bait and thinking there was more.’ Her eyes fixed on his. ‘In the end, isn’t it the hope that keeps us going?’
‘Nah – it’s the hope that kills us or traps us.
As poor Phil proved.’ He looked away. He couldn’t maintain eye contact with her for too long.
Those old feelings, the ones he had fought so hard to beat back, were returning.
He could feel them burning deep in his chest, like a fire that refused to be put out.
‘Hope traps us? That’s an interesting point of view,’ Willow mused. ‘I like to think I see it differently than that.’
‘Well, maybe you and I have had different experiences.’
Willow looked at him intently. She smiled. ‘Maybe,’ she said. ‘But all that I remember was how happy I used to be with you. How I felt completely like myself …’
‘You did?’ Lucas felt like he was choking out the words.
‘Yeah, always.’ Her gaze was on his lips. Heat rippled through his body and then intensified. Without thinking any more about it, because thoughts were lost now, he leaned forward. His mouth grazed hers. He expected her to pull back. But she didn’t.
Instead, she groaned softly under the pressure.
He pressed against her further, his lips teasing hers. His hand sweeping through her hair and tugging it gently. He felt her tongue against his, exploring and probing. He could feel himself hardening. He groaned also, longing for more.
Willow. The moment he had dreamed of for so long. And now she was here in his arms.
He pulled away briefly, anxiety suddenly seeping over him.
‘Are you sure this is what you want?’
Her honey eyes seemed to tease him. ‘Do I look like I’m complaining?’
She tugged on his top, pulling him back towards her.
Their mouths locked again, harder this time.
He could feel her teeth graze against his lip and a shiver raced through his entire being.
He ran his hands down her body, feeling the shape of her – her breasts, her stomach. He felt her tremble under his touch.
‘Luc …’ she whispered.
He was about to respond, when he was interrupted by another sound. It was something moving through the trees towards them. He quickly pulled away.
‘Hey guys! I’ve been looking all over! Why are you hiding out there?’
Mia was walking in their direction, waving. Lucas had never been so disappointed to see his sister. He blinked at her, not knowing what to say. Meanwhile, Willow hopped off the branch, shaking her hair into place like nothing had happened.
‘Come on,’ she said. ‘It’s going to rain any minute. We should head back.’
‘But what about our place?’ Lucas said, trying to sound casual. ‘I thought we were going to stay here and eat.’
‘Yeah, well, I don’t feel like getting wet and cold.’ Willow laughed, heading towards his sister, so that he could reroute too. ‘We can eat as we walk back.’
So, Lucas pulled himself up and followed the women reluctantly. His thoughts were once again a jumbled mess.
Had Willow wanted that to happen, or was she immediately regretting it? Was he being treated like an idiot?
Because he didn’t want to get hurt again. No siree. Not again.