Chapter 26
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX
I stopped counting after about three shots, but Ryan had far more than that.
We were cracking up over everything—college, life, parents, siblings.
I found myself having a great time. I’m not usually the one to share stories; I’m more of a private person, but I became tremendously animated while telling stories around the fire, being vividly expressive and using my hands to communicate my point.
Finally, I persuaded Ryan that we should switch to a lighter beverage so we could walk back to our campsite.
Theatrically, he grabs his chest. “You wound me; I’m not that bad.”
Giggling, I playfully say, “Ryan, you made it halfway to the tree line and peed in front of everyone. You were barely able to unzip your pants, and you loudly told us you were spelling my name.”
Reluctantly, he agreed and lifted his arm, asking for a beer for him and a seltzer for me.
Cora springs out of her seat. “I’ll get them!” She stumbles over to the cooler, tripping over herself.
In an instant, something in the air changes. The hair on my arms rises, and my palms become clammy. I pat my hands down my legs, trying to chase away the dampness.
I bite back the paranoia strumming in my mind and convince myself that I need to give Ryan the benefit of the doubt. We’ve been together for years now, and he knows me better than anyone. He’s right. I tend to distance myself from others, and quite often I don’t give them a chance.
They’ve been decent company the whole time we’ve been here, and tonight has been the best night.
I calm my mind and peer over at Ryan, taking him in with affection.
Smiling, I notice he has already downed two beers, and I, on the other hand, have half of my seltzer left, so I gulp the rest of it down.
Sternly, I mutter to Ryan, “Last one, then we are headed back to our campsite.”
“Do you have a bedtime I don’t know about, or other plans?” He leans over to me and lightly caresses my collarbone.
Gawking at his bluntness in front of everyone, my cheeks redden.
“Yes, it’s called sleep, so we can do something tomorrow. We only have one full day left.”
“Alright, alright. Whenever you want to go.” He winks at me. “You know you call all the shots.”
He arches his neck, wrapping his hand around my jaw and pecking me on the lips. Relief swims through me.
About twenty minutes pass, and my eyelids start drooping, black spots appearing in my vision. As I try to stand, I’m overcome by intense fatigue. I collapse on my knees, toppling forward, my hands slamming against the ground to catch myself.
I open my mouth to speak, but only mangled syllables escape; I’m a broken, incoherent mess.
The last thing I see is AJ, now mere inches from my face and tilting his head. His thumb drags down my bottom lip while his pointer finger lifts my jaw, holding me in his intense gaze.
“Embrace the darkness,” his whisper slices through my ears.
Pain explodes as my head hits the ground, my eyes closing, swallowed whole by a suffocating blackness.