Page 18 of Riverside Reverie

I tilted my head to break the connection as the whiskey went around the campfire again. Music pumped from the speaker ball, and conversations were happening all around me. Jasmine was talking to Desmond, animatedly moving her hands while she spoke, and Talia had her eyes closed as she sang along to her tenth most favourite song. She’d proclaimed every song that came on was her favourite.

Kai and Zoey seemed to be in their own little world, one where little existed outside of each other. Zoey was nestled in his arms, sitting in front of him. He held her close, whispering something in her ear that made her smile. My heart pulsed painfully, and I had to pull my gaze away and look at the fire before my eyes could well up. In all the years I’d spent with Scott, he’d never held me like that.

I don’t even know where the sudden urge to cry came from. I wasn’t missing Scott in the slightest. I suppose it was borne from the whiskey, and the loneliness I felt in that moment. The realization that I’d never not felt that same loneliness, even when I was with him, was more difficult to swallow than the whiskey.

What a colossal waste of my time.

Of course, I’d known, even if I hadn’t wanted to admit it. I used my relationship with Scott—as lifeless as it was—as an excuse to not have to get wild in college the way my program peers were.

I hadn’t made any new lasting friendships the way Jasmine had when she’d moved to Sudbury for college. She’d managed to find an entire new group of friends, ones that seemed to match her ideals, ones that seemed kind and friendly and fun. Friends that seemed like they were there to stay. Long-haul friends.

Jasmine was my one and only long-haul friend, but seeing how this group interacted had me wishing for more of them. Perhaps then my sister’s betrayal, and my parent’s indifference, wouldn’t sting so much.

Movement drew my eyes from the flames, and I watched as Theo walked around the fire, adding wood, and poking at it with a sturdy stick, his concentration completely absorbed with the task. This allowed me a brief interlude to study him without notice.

He really was good looking, and for a moment my thoughts drifted to the box of condoms in my bag. My cheeks heated, and I was immediately thankful for the cover of the darkness. The last time I’d blushed so much had been in high school. I had a tendency of doing so whenever I felt embarrassed, and there had been a lot of embarrassing moments in high school. I don’t know what it was about this group that had me blushing consistently—it wasn’t that I was embarrassed. Theo’s attractiveness alone was probably to blame, and the way he kept looking at me.

I wasn’t forward or confident, like Brinley. I didn’t know how to do casual hookups with men I’d just met—even if the idea of it intrigued me. But…this trip was all about pushing myself outside of my own comfort zone. It wouldn’t be the worst way to do that.

Theo turned, catching my perusal, and flashed me an enticing grin that made me almost feel like he knew what I’d been thinking. “Holding up alright there?”

“Yeah, sorry,” I straightened, fighting the urge to yawn. “I’m a little tired. I guess canoeing took a lot out of me.”

“You did great,” he remarked, his gaze warm and considerate—the smile on his lips playful and daring. “A born natural.”

“Thanks,” I laughed lightly, my cheeks heating again beneath his examination. His eyes were so alluring and having their focus on me did strange things to my heart. “Hopefully my arms will cooperate tomorrow,” I added, lifting them meekly. They felt as limp as cooked spaghetti noodles.

Theo grinned, his smile lighting up that previously achy spot in my heart. “I brought some extra strength Tylenol and muscle pain reliever cream, if you need some.”

My lips twitched, pulling into a bemused smile. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the environmental scientist came prepared.” Jasmine had told me what he did for a living while we set up the tent; “A lot of geoscience and a lot of travelling,” which was another reason for my hesitation. It seemed like Theo was bound to leave again, and I had no idea where I was headed.

But if Theo was surprised that I knew his profession, he covered it well.

“I always come prepared,” he replied with a wink, his grin cheeky. The racing of my heart was difficult to ignore, and I knew if I continued to expose myself to Theo’s undeniably attractive good looks and charm, I’d make a complete fool of myself before dawn. I stood abruptly, nearly knocking my chair back in the process.

“Well, I’m going to call it a night,” I said, stretching and letting an exaggerated yawn out.

“Night, Lux! I’ll be there within an hour,” Jasmine said, shaking her half-full beer and gesturing to the fire. I nodded, smiling at her, my eyes sliding back to Theo for the briefest moment before I caught myself.

“I’ll grab that cream for you,” he said, stabbing his poker stick into the sand.

“Thank you. Good night,” I said, waving at everyone else.

“Night Princess, sleep well.” Talia said, while the others waved. Turning, I started to walk up the hill, with Theo right behind me. I could feel the warmth of his breath as he exhaled.

One of his steps brought him to my side, and we exchanged a timid—on my part—look. Then, we reached his tent. Theo opened the zipper of his tent and disappeared inside it. I waited while he unzipped his bag and rooted around. When he found what he was looking for, he stepped back outside, closing the tent behind him.

“Apply a thin layer over your sore muscles, and when you wake up you should feel a lot better,” Theo explained, passing me the tube of cream. Our fingertips touched together as I reached for it, shocking me with a warm, electric current.

“Thanks again,” I said, pulling my hand, and the cream, away from his. He smiled, passing me the Tylenol and a bottle of water he’d also grabbed.

“My pleasure,” he said, the words carrying a deeper meaning. Or at least, my hazy mind felt like they carried a deeper meaning. Who knows if there actually was, or if it was wishful thinking on my part. “And hey, if you want…I could help you apply it.”

I gaped at him, momentarily speechless. Theo slapped his hand over his eyes and groaned. “I can’t believe I said that, that sounds so creepy. I meant I could help you if you wanted.”

Now it was Theo’s turn to blush. It was endearing, and although a very large part of me desperately wanted to accept his offer, I chickened out.

“You’re not creepy, Theo. But I should be okay on my own.” Theo ran his hand across his chin and nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I added, turning on my heel and marching straight for my tent, not giving myself an opportunity to find out what his hands felt like on me.

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