Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
ROMILLY
The next morning, one of the girls has to shake me awake for the sunrise hike. It’s bad enough being the only adult in this cabin. It’s worse that one of the girls—Dev—had to wake me up instead of the other way around.
I peek through my lashes to see Dev grinning down at me. Behind her, the five other girls are trying not to laugh as they peek at me from over her shoulder. Dev leans down and whispers in my ear, “Morning, sunshine.”
I frown and open one eye. “What time is it?”
“Six-thirty.”
I groan. I don’t know how I slept so late. I’m usually up much earlier than this, but all the exhaustion from overworking myself lately must finally be catching up with me.
I muster up my remaining energy and get everyone lined up outside Cabin C.
Bash and Logan are already outside their cabin across the campground, and when Bash sees me, he says something to Logan before reaching my side.
“Where can we get some coffee around here?” he mumbles.
“In the mess hall after the hike.”
His eyes widen. “After? Did you just say after ?”
I laugh. “I know. It should be illegal.”
“Yes. That’s absolutely criminal.” He removes a lollipop from his pocket and pops it into his mouth. “I’m going to partner with you for the hike. Logan already approved.”
I can’t deny my relief. “Thank you.”
I motion for my group of six to follow us.
I have Dev, Cami, Angelina, Vi, Heidi, and Taylor in our cabin, and they’re all squinting against the cool sunlight barely visible in the dawn.
Still, the air feels amazing and cool—one of the many perks to camping during autumn like this.
And the way the leaves are about to crunch under our sneakers and boots as we hike? It’s an experience like no other.
“How long is the hike?” Cami asks.
I smile. “It shouldn’t take longer than an hour.”
They all stare at me numbly, Bash included.
I laugh. “Oh, come on, everyone. It will be fun.” Especially now that Bash will be at my side, just in case. Though I don’t want him to find out, my mood is already ten times better now that I know I’ll have his help.
We lead the way. The trail is located past the fire pit, and we begin our uphill trot just as the rest of the groups disappear onto the trail. Logan is leading his group in the distance behind the rest of the counselors, so we fall into step last in line.
“Thank goodness it’s not hot out,” Bash mutters at my side. “Otherwise this would be miserable.”
“Miserable is a strong word.”
“So is fun, but you used it to describe this hike, didn’t you?” He gently pokes my side.
I roll my eyes. “You’d think this would be nothing for you, with all the training you put yourself through for your fights.”
“I’ve told you I’m allergic to sunlight. I’d rather be punched in the face any day.”
I can’t help but giggle at the way he says it, like he’s letting me in on a secret. He’s so cute. It’s annoying.
Angelina peeps up behind us. “Are you two dating or something? What’s with all the flirting and whispering?”
My cheeks burn. I spin around to walk backwards so I can face them and notice Taylor and Heidi grinning at Angelina’s statement. Dev, Cami, and Vi, thankfully, remain composed.
“We’re not dating,” I tell them. “Bash is my friend.”
“Can he be my friend, too?” Angelina whispers under her breath, earning a hushed laugh from Taylor.
Heidi whispers something else I don’t catch, but Bash’s grin grows, which only irritates me further.
I shoot him a glare. “Don’t encourage them.”
“Encourage what?” he says innocently, brushing a leaf off my shoulder like he has every right to touch me. “You’re very popular with the youth, pumpkin.”
“Don’t call me that in front of them.”
“Why? Afraid it’ll catch on?” His voice is low and teasing, only for me to hear.
I turn back around quickly, trying not to let the girls see the way my face is burning. The trail narrows into a winding incline, tree roots crisscrossing the path like hidden booby traps. I guide the teens carefully around them. “Watch your step, everyone.”
But just as I round a bend in the path, my boot catches on a twisted root hidden beneath a pile of damp leaves. My ankle twists sharply to the side, and pain shoots up my leg as I tumble forward.
“Ow—” I almost land on my hands and knees, but Bash steadies me before it happens.
“I’m fine,” I grit out, trying to pull away, but as soon as my foot touches the ground, the throbbing makes me hiss.
Bash doesn’t let go. “You’re not fine. Sit down before you make it worse.”
I reluctantly lower myself onto a nearby log. The girls circle around, distress written all over their faces.
“Keep going,” I tell them, trying to sound casual. “I’ll catch up in a few minutes.”
“No way,” Vi says, frowning.
“Logan’s group isn’t too far ahead of us. I can still hear them. Can you all go get him together?” Bash asks before I can protest. “Tell him what happened and see if he’ll turn around. I’ll stay here with Romilly.”
Angelina and Taylor give me a sly look, but thankfully say nothing before they all continue up the trail.
Once it’s just the two of us, Bash crouches in front of me, gently cradling my ankle in his hands. “You always do this,” he murmurs.
“Do what?”
“Pretend you’re fine when you’re clearly not.”
“I’m used to powering through.” I shrug. “There’s not usually anyone around to catch me.”
He looks up at me then, his brows drawn together as his gaze slices through me. “Well, I’m here now.”
I don’t know how to respond to that, so I look away. I try to focus on the way the morning light filters through the amber leaves, or the way the breeze carries the faint scent of pine and smoke. Anything but the pain in my ankle.
“Let’s check out the damage.” He rests my foot in his lap with surprising care. His fingers are warm against my chilled skin as he slowly unlaces my boot. The confident but gentle way he touches me sends tingles racing up my leg.
“You really did a number on yourself.” He brushes some leaves from my knee. “I should’ve carried you from the start.”
I roll my eyes even as my cheeks flush. “You’re impossible.”
“Maybe.” He smirks and looks up at me. “But you’re smiling.”
I try to fight it, but he’s right. I am.
He slips off the boot and carefully examines my ankle. “It’s not broken, but it’s definitely not safe for you to walk on.”
“Since when are you an expert on broken bones?”
“I’ve broken plenty myself, pumpkin. Trust me.”
Bash stands and, without warning, scoops me into his arms.
“Sebastian!” I protest, wrapping an arm around his neck for balance.
“Do you really think I’m going to let you hobble your way down this trail?” he says, already walking.
“I could lean on you,” I mutter.
“You could, technically. But this way, I get to carry you through the woods like a rugged, lumberjack hero. Let me have this.”
Despite myself, I laugh. Besides, the girls should be back by now and carrying me will probably get us to them faster. Knots form in my stomach at the thought of something happening to them.
As Bash carries me through the trees, the wind rustles the leaves above us until they fall like soft, golden rain. And even though I’m off my foot, the throbbing in my ankle continues. “I can’t believe you’ve had worse injuries than this and still want to be a fighter.”
He chuckles. “It’s not so bad once you get used to it.”
“Do you ever think about what you want in life, like, other than fighting?”
He hums. “Getting deep on me, are you?”
I smirk. “Why? Are you afraid to get deep with me?”
“Of course not.” Bash hums as he thinks. “Other than fighting, I used to think I wanted freedom from expectations. From my parents. From anything that tied me down. But now I think I just want something real. Something that isn’t for show.”
His words lodge somewhere in my chest. For a moment, I’m so caught up in his eyes, I don’t realize he’s stopped walking until I hear voices up ahead.
Logan and the kids emerge from a bend in the trail, their faces etched with worry.
“Are you okay?” Logan calls from a few feet away, jogging over with his own group trailing behind.
“She twisted her ankle. We’re taking it slow,” Bash says, but he doesn’t put me down.
Logan eyes us both with amusement but thankfully doesn’t ask questions. Vi nudges Cami and whispers something that makes her giggle.
“We got a little lost. Sorry to leave you two alone so long,” Angelina says with a wide grin, looking not sorry at all.
I bury my face in Bash’s shoulder. “They wanted us to be alone together. They probably think we’re secretly in love.”
He chuckles softly. “Don’t let them get to you. They’re just trying to see you flustered.”
The group gathers around us. Logan takes the lead as we make our way back to camp.
And in Bash’s arms, surrounded by dropping leaves, I try desperately not to fall even harder for him and prove the girls right.
Thankfully, all it takes is some ice and a few hours of sitting for my ankle to feel a little better. Bash insists I should keep resting it, but I glare at him. “I’m not wasting this entire retreat over a twisted ankle.”
“Of course you’re not. We’ve only been here one day.
Besides, it’s almost chapel time, and then dinner.
” He scans the itinerary, which was printed out and given to each counselor.
My group is having their hour of free time, and I can’t deny I’m grateful, because it’s giving me even more time to rest my foot after the hiking catastrophe.
The sound of excited voices and laughter drifts into the cabin where Bash and I have spent the entire afternoon.
He’s done nothing but bring me ice for my ankle every time it melts and make sure I’m comfortable.
It’s infuriating.
Because every touch, every glance he sends my way makes my heart twist in my chest, and it’s getting harder to ignore.
“I need to stretch,” I say. “I’m tired of sitting.”
He frowns at me. “Your ankle?—”
“It feels much better now.” I stand, ignoring the pain when I shift my weight onto my left foot. “See?”
He eyes me with suspicion. And then I fall right back down.
“I think you should sit here as long as possible,” he says. “I can stay with you if you want.”
“You don’t need to do that. I’ll be fine.”
He sighs, but grins as he sits beside me. “Come on. Admit it. You’d be miserable without me.”
“Either way, I better get used to it, since you’re not staying in Meadow Hills.”
His grin fades. He’s silent for a long moment before he asks, “Does that upset you?”
My heart hammers. “No. Why would it?”
“I don’t know. I guess I thought it was part of the reason you won’t be my girlfriend.”
His words remind me of what I keep trying to forget—that he wants to be my boyfriend. That he likes me and possibly cares about me as much as I care about him.
What happened with Cole isn’t even my reason for fighting my feelings anymore.
Now, it’s mostly about maintaining a level of professionalism at my workplace, something I need to do if I want my business to succeed.
But more than that, I don’t want the long-distance thing.
But more than that, I don’t want to ask him to stay.
If he wants to be with me as much as he lets on, I want him to choose to stay all on his own.
“Where do you think you’ll go?” I ask him, instead of responding to what he said.
“I guess I thought I’d be going back to Australia, but I’m a dual citizen, so I could technically go anywhere I want.”
I look at him. “And where do you want to be?”
He runs a hand over the back of his neck. “I just want a place not tied to my parents. Unfortunately, the lake house I’m in right now is theirs, and staying there would feel like another avenue for them to control me. Just something for them to hold over my head whenever they want.”
“That’s too bad.” I nudge his shoulder with mine. “Because it’s a beautiful place. Too bad you can’t buy it from them or something.”
He arches a brow. “Ah…so you do want me to stay in Meadow Hills.”
I hide a smile. “Either way.”
Bash hesitates before gently brushing a piece of my hair away from my eyes. My heart gallops in response. “You know, it’s okay to want things, even when they’re scary.”
“I know that.”
“Do you?” He smiles faintly. “What do you want that scares you, Romilly?”
You, I want to say. I want you so bad it hurts. But instead, I say, “You first.”
He finally drops the hand lingering at my face. “I want someone who feels like home. I’ve never had that.”
My throat burns at his words because of the way he’s looking at me. Because he said someone who feels like home , and not something.
Is he talking about me? I don’t dare let myself think it, not with everything so up in the air between us. Still, I unintentionally lean closer to him. My head feels dizzy from his proximity.
My next words escape in a whisper. “Bash…I really don’t count on people easily anymore. But if it means anything to you, you’re someone I’m starting to trust.”
“It does mean something to me. It means a lot.”
I glance up at him, and for a split second, I consider closing the distance between us. Abandoning all my fears and simply exploring his mouth with mine, exploring the emotions bubbling up inside me.
Exploring what it would be like to let myself fall, really fall, for once.
But I nod and pull away.
Because if today has taught me anything, it’s that falling almost always hurts.