Chapter 10 #4
Saying that I was completing a writing exercise in order to re-engage myself creatively to eventually rewrite a half finished fanfiction about his character didn’t have a good ring to it.
“So you’re a writer?”
“I’m a person who sometimes writes,” I picked up the notebook and defensively held it on my lap, protecting its contents with the same fervor as a dragon hoarding his gold.
“Sounds like a writer to me.”
He stared out at the lake and rocked the chair back and forth slowly. It was obvious he was trying to be engaged, he didn’t know all that much about me and wanted to understand my hobbies, likes and dislikes, and who I was.
He kissed me, he acquainted himself with my body, of course he wanted to acquaint himself with my mind.
“So, that kiss…” I began. This would be a much easier topic to broach, despite the TV static reappearing in each of my limbs.
“I’m guessing you didn’t hate it that much if you’re still talking to me,” Evan laughed. The tightrope between normal conversation and flirting was becoming ever more precarious.
“I didn’t hate it. At all,” I hadn’t a singular idea of where I intended to drive this conversation, my natural ability to self-sabotage was beginning to leak through. “I’m curious if you’re known for kissing random girls you meet at wilderness camps like this?”
Biting his lip again, Evan leaned back in his chair and smiled to himself. “I believe this would be considered the first.”
“Huh.” I couldn’t bore him or scare him off with the millions of follow up questions I was formulating. Instead, I followed in Evan’s footsteps and looked out at the lake as I rocked my own chair back and forth as well.
He grew uneasy and shifted a bit in his seat.
“Dani, if I made things weird or if I crossed a line or something tell me, please. Especially since you’re here to get over a breakup.
To be honest, I don’t know what even came over me.
I'm not like this.” He’d folded his hands in his lap and was feverishly twiddling his thumbs.
“Let me make it abundantly clear. It’s weird.” Evan grimaced at my words. “But I am also very much into it. Whatever this is.” I gestured between us.
I wanted more hand holding and kissing. And I wanted him to read my mind so I wouldn’t have to admit all this.
“Good, good. Okay.” He put his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes with his palms.
“Being in the woods has historically made people go a little crazy, usually it takes longer than two days, but maybe you’re an exception to the rule.” I placed a trembling hand gently on the arm of his chair, being careful to not brush against skin.
The leverage over Nick of my rebound hookup being Evan McLeod was delicious. I’d relish a bit in the toxicity of the thought.
Evan remained quiet, I could see the synapses firing to formulate what he was trying to convey. He put his hand on top of mine and gently rubbed it with his thumb, not even thinking before slipping into a comfortable rhythm.
Panic again, sweat pooled in my palms.
“I don’t think this was entirely a psychological break or lapse in judgment. I—I don’t even know what to think or say. This is all so bizarre for me.” He was restraining himself, there was something else he was trying to say.
“Bizarre for you? Imagine how I feel. By no stretch of the imagination did I expect this to be how my week would go.” I was practically out of breath as if the wind was knocked out of me. My chest was tight.
I could probably ramble for hours about how incredibly weird this all still was, and yet Evan himself was the one who was acting like this was some strange twist of fate kind of scenario.
As if he were the one who was slightly starstruck every time he looked at me.
Maybe I did actually need to journal about what was truly going on this week.
I wasn’t even sure if it was real or if maybe I got into a car accident on the way to camp and was in a coma. Stranger things had happened.
“No you’re right, it’s not all about me,” he turned to me. “Promise me you’re okay with whatever this is? Say the word and you’ll never see me again.”
“Let’s see what the next few days bring, okay?” I spoke quietly, reserved, cautious. I didn’t know what the next few days would bring us, earlier today I didn’t know what would have happened this afternoon. “We’ve known each other for fifty two hours.”
“I thought you said we were counting days now?” He grinned.
“That was before you kissed me, clearly a lot can happen in a few hours.”
More than a lot, I felt like my life had been turned inside out, wrung out, and left to dry in the sun.
Evan leaned back with a satisfied smile on his face. Quietly echoing my sentiment. He glanced at his watch and realized dinner was in less than a half hour. “I have to go shower quick, can I escort you to dinner?”
“It’s a date.” I said with a smile.
He got up and kissed me on the forehead, glowing heat rushed to my cheeks. Once he was out of sight I opened my notebook again.
If nothing else I want this to serve as a scrap of proof that magic may still exist. Call it dehydration in the wilderness, or call it fate.
Whatever it is, I want to bottle it and get drunk on it months from now.