child,
I’d build secret forts or go to private corners of the woods.
Hiding and distraction had always been my way of dealing with
problems. I watched ants carry their leaves, picked up insects, and
stared at spiders spinning their intricate webs. I’d make little
boats out of leaves and gently set them in the woodland stream,
then watch them take their gentle voyage with the current. Life had
been so simple, so carefree back then, and I missed that
feeling.
Since my breakup with Jake,
I’d grown stronger every day, somehow finding the strength to carry
me through each passing sunrise and sunset. Nobody understood why
it took me so long to get over Jake, not even Nadia. Is it wrong to love someone so
passionately? I still wondered.
Nevertheless, what had happened between us was in the past, and I
knew I’d never allow myself to get involved with Jake again, for
he’d only bring me more heartache, and I would not put myself
through that. I would never forget the pain of my bleeding
heart.
I’d always enjoyed finding a special
retreat, a place where I could be alone with my thoughts. That was
something else Nadia had never quite understood, as she was the
kind of person who had to have someone with her wherever she went.
When we were kids, she wouldn’t even walk up the street to the
corner store without dragging me along. I, on the other hand, could
be quite a loner at times. I used to go in the woods, find a
boulder fit to be used as furniture, then sit there for hours, and
watch and listen as fish swam and gurgled, frogs jumped and
croaked, and birds flew and chirped. It was the only thing I could
do to get my mind off my parents’ fighting, which they did all the
time. When they separated for a couple of years, I felt like it was
my fault.
Sure, I had grown into an adult, but I
knew I was still doing the same damn thing I’d done as a kid, still
looking for that special spot, someplace to escape to. There I was
again, running away from my problems, hiding from Jake and looking
for a distraction at the bottom of a canyon.
Time passed, and before I knew it, the
sun was bathing the whole place in dazzling rays, turning the
canyon red, pink, and fuchsia. I knew I had to head back before
darkness enveloped the canyon floor. I saw the cutest gray fox,
some birds, and a bunch of mule deer as I ambled back to the
cabin.
When I got back, we sat at the picnic
table. Jake eagerly listened to my story,
then told me all about his little adventure. The weather was
wonderful, giving us a perfect view of the stars and moon in the
clear night skies.
“ I hiked up the Clear Creek
Trail to Phantom Overlook. It was awesome,” Jake said. “I also hit
the North Kaibab trail to Ribbon Falls, and I took tons of
pictures. Then me and some other hikers headed to the cantina,
where we had dinner and played cards.”
“ It sounds
lovely.”
After a long,
exciting day and lulled to sleep by the sounds of nature and the
lingering buzz of a little alcohol, my eyes closed in no
time.
* *
*
When morning
came, I awoke to the sound of Jake stirring around. It was only
five a.m., and silvery moonlight was still gushing in through the
window, giving everything a haunted house glow.
Slowly, Jake
climbed out of bed and quickly slipped on a pair of
underwear.
I couldn’t
help but stare at his dazzling looks, his tight six-pack abs, that
muscular chest, and those hard biceps. He was adorable in his
tightie-whities. “Mornin’,” I said as he slipped into his jeans and
walked to my bed, still shirtless.
“ Good morning,” he said.
I stared at
his messy, jet-black hair. “Sleep good?”
He flashed me
a brilliant white smile. “Like a baby.”
“ Breakfast is in an hour,” I said. “We should go take showers
and get ready. I’m starving and don’t wanna be late.”
He gathered
some cleaner clothes than the ones he was already wearing and
headed outside to go take a shower.
After I
showered, I put on a pair of jeans that fit
I’d build secret forts or go to private corners of the woods.
Hiding and distraction had always been my way of dealing with
problems. I watched ants carry their leaves, picked up insects, and
stared at spiders spinning their intricate webs. I’d make little
boats out of leaves and gently set them in the woodland stream,
then watch them take their gentle voyage with the current. Life had
been so simple, so carefree back then, and I missed that
feeling.
Since my breakup with Jake,
I’d grown stronger every day, somehow finding the strength to carry
me through each passing sunrise and sunset. Nobody understood why
it took me so long to get over Jake, not even Nadia. Is it wrong to love someone so
passionately? I still wondered.
Nevertheless, what had happened between us was in the past, and I
knew I’d never allow myself to get involved with Jake again, for
he’d only bring me more heartache, and I would not put myself
through that. I would never forget the pain of my bleeding
heart.
I’d always enjoyed finding a special
retreat, a place where I could be alone with my thoughts. That was
something else Nadia had never quite understood, as she was the
kind of person who had to have someone with her wherever she went.
When we were kids, she wouldn’t even walk up the street to the
corner store without dragging me along. I, on the other hand, could
be quite a loner at times. I used to go in the woods, find a
boulder fit to be used as furniture, then sit there for hours, and
watch and listen as fish swam and gurgled, frogs jumped and
croaked, and birds flew and chirped. It was the only thing I could
do to get my mind off my parents’ fighting, which they did all the
time. When they separated for a couple of years, I felt like it was
my fault.
Sure, I had grown into an adult, but I
knew I was still doing the same damn thing I’d done as a kid, still
looking for that special spot, someplace to escape to. There I was
again, running away from my problems, hiding from Jake and looking
for a distraction at the bottom of a canyon.
Time passed, and before I knew it, the
sun was bathing the whole place in dazzling rays, turning the
canyon red, pink, and fuchsia. I knew I had to head back before
darkness enveloped the canyon floor. I saw the cutest gray fox,
some birds, and a bunch of mule deer as I ambled back to the
cabin.
When I got back, we sat at the picnic
table. Jake eagerly listened to my story,
then told me all about his little adventure. The weather was
wonderful, giving us a perfect view of the stars and moon in the
clear night skies.
“ I hiked up the Clear Creek
Trail to Phantom Overlook. It was awesome,” Jake said. “I also hit
the North Kaibab trail to Ribbon Falls, and I took tons of
pictures. Then me and some other hikers headed to the cantina,
where we had dinner and played cards.”
“ It sounds
lovely.”
After a long,
exciting day and lulled to sleep by the sounds of nature and the
lingering buzz of a little alcohol, my eyes closed in no
time.
* *
*
When morning
came, I awoke to the sound of Jake stirring around. It was only
five a.m., and silvery moonlight was still gushing in through the
window, giving everything a haunted house glow.
Slowly, Jake
climbed out of bed and quickly slipped on a pair of
underwear.
I couldn’t
help but stare at his dazzling looks, his tight six-pack abs, that
muscular chest, and those hard biceps. He was adorable in his
tightie-whities. “Mornin’,” I said as he slipped into his jeans and
walked to my bed, still shirtless.
“ Good morning,” he said.
I stared at
his messy, jet-black hair. “Sleep good?”
He flashed me
a brilliant white smile. “Like a baby.”
“ Breakfast is in an hour,” I said. “We should go take showers
and get ready. I’m starving and don’t wanna be late.”
He gathered
some cleaner clothes than the ones he was already wearing and
headed outside to go take a shower.
After I
showered, I put on a pair of jeans that fit
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