Page 21 of Riverside Reverie

The warm timbre of his voice blanketed around me, and the tug of his lips into a half grin magnetized me. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding and pulled my eyes away from his, feeling a little disoriented.

I hadn’t felt this way since high school; this jittery attraction that seemed to swell and grow with every second I spent in his presence was different from the timid butterflies I’d felt for Scott all those years ago. I was slightly irritated by this—the timing was all wrong, but my intrigue outweighed the irritation.

It had been a long time since I was in this position. Single, free, and attracted to someone who seemed to be just as attracted to me, unless I was imagining the lingering glances and the interest in each of his smiles…

Something told me that I wasn’t imagining it. He smiled at me again, his lips curving around his mug before he took a deep sip. I lowered my chin, flushing a little as I wondered if I could truly let go of all my reservations and dive into something fun and new, even if it didn’t last forever.

Could I let go of my meticulous need for control, if it meant an escape like the potential one Theo could provide?

The sudden drop of a body in the chair beside mine startled me from perusing him more. Jasmine had finally risen—although she looked anything but awake.

“Ugh. I should have gone to bed way earlier,” she said, her voice raspy with lack of use.

“Yeah, me too. I went too hard for day one,” Talia practically whimpered, collapsing onto the floaty she’d dragged back with her to the beach. She must have slept on it last night in her tent. She pulled her sweater up over her face, hiding from the sun and groaning with regret.

Still, the group was up early, beginning their day despite the hangovers Jasmine and Talia seemed to nurse.

Desmond let out a chuckle as he poured coffee into two more mugs and offered one Talia and another to Jasmine. She blinked up at him, as if surprised by the gesture, and accepted the mug from his hands. Their fingers connected for a fleeting moment. Jasmine swallowed, mumbling her thanks as she avoided looking directly at him.

There was a connection between the two of them. Buried beneath their easy friendship. I wouldn’t have been able to pick up on it if I wasn’t paying attention. I arched a brow, sipping at my coffee, and made a mental note to ask Jasmine about it later.

We ate breakfast on the beach around the campfire, laughing and talking. Somehow, each morsel tasted better than if it had been prepared in an actual kitchen. I slipped easily in and out of the conversations happening around me, enjoying learning new tidbits about the group.

Like how Zoey, Kai, Baz, Desmond and Theo had gone to the same school together, south of Sudbury. Talia had met Theo in college and now rented a room off them, and Rhiannon had met Baz when she was shooting his older sister’s wedding at the Tempest Resort in Parry Sound and joined the group shortly after they started officially dating.

Since I hadn’t helped with the cooking, I’d decided to do the dishes. At some point, someone had set up a makeshift table on the bench, placing two bins full of lake water on top of it. I made my way over with mine and Jasmine’s dishes and two of the dirty frying pans. One of the bins was full of soapy water, while the other was clearly for rinsing. Beside the bins was a container of dish soap, a dish cloth and a towel.

I washed the dishes first, setting them aside in a soapy pile before starting on the frying pans. Once I’d washed everything, I rinsed them in the rinsing bin and dried everything off, stacking them in a neat pile, thinking about Theo’s smile the whole time.

7

CLIFFS AND CLIMBS

Theo

It had been hard to keep my attention off Lux throughout breakfast. My eyes were drawn to her, like a moth to the flame—and I knew it wasn’t because she was new and interesting—and gorgeous. Her beauty was undeniable, but there was something about her soul that called to mine.

She sat across from me, same as the night before, her body slightly inclined towards Jasmine as they talked about the impending day. When she offered to clean up after breakfast, I had to resist the urge to jump up and offer to help too. I gave her some time at the wash station, trying to calm my eagerness at the prospect of standing near her.

I hadn’t felt this excited to be in someone’s company in far too long, and I hadn’t felt this strong of a pull of interest in someone—ever. I knew Desmond and Talia noticed my eagerness. Desmond was too stoic to call me out again, but Talia kept wriggling her eyebrows at me and grinning widely anytime I caught her eye.

“Go talk to her,” she urged, her voice bordering on a whisper. “You know you want to. Stop torturing yourself—and by proxy, the rest of us.”

While Lux was absorbed in drying, I got up and went to carry my dishes over, but Talia stopped me, stacking hers on top with a wink.

Lux saw me approaching. “I can wash those,” she offered, holding her delicate hand out to take them.

“It’s alright, I’ve got them,” I smiled, stepping closer beside her, and setting the dishes in the wash bin.

“It’s the least I can do, really. I didn’t have to cook,” she tried to insist, tucking a strand of her red hair behind her ear, her eyes not quite meeting mine.

“You don’t have to earn your keep, We’re on vacation here and everyone leans into their strengths. I know it feels like the division of labour isn’t equal, but we’re a team. Some of us excel at getting the fire started and keeping it going, while others are way better cooks and handle the meals. Trust me, you don’t really want to eat anything Talia makes, but she’s excellent at chopping wood.” I assured her, a smile growing on my lips. I held out my hand and gently took the cloth from her, our fingers brushing yet again.

Something sparked in me, like it had all the times before, and I could tell by the way she bit her lower lip that she felt it too, this connection between us.

I’d only just met her, but she felt familiar. She felt right. It was the strangest feeling, but one I didn’t mind embracing. I started washing the dishes, my focus not really on the task at hand. She lingered, unsure of whether she should stay. I didn’t want her to go, so I decided to engage her.

“So, what do you think so far?” I asked, gesturing with my head to our campsite while I ran the washcloth over the dishes in the bin. She dried them while I washed, the two of us falling into harmony.

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