by Jacob Chance
“Are you hoping to make him jealous? Or do you want him back?” My stomach painfully clenches at the thought of her reuniting with that piece of shit.
“I don’t ever want him back. He made his choice. I’ll never tolerate being someone's second choice.”
“You shouldn’t have to be.” If you were really mine, you’d never play second fiddle to anyone. “And if it helps, he’s definitely jealous that you brought me with you.”
“You think?”
“Couldn’t you tell?”
“I thought he might be, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up.” She laughs. “Does that make me a bad person?”
“That you want him to be jealous?” She nods. “No. It makes you human. You don’t want him to think that you’ve been sitting there pining for him since the break up.”
“Yes, that’s it exactly.”
“Well, if he doesn’t already think you’re over him, he will after this weekend. We’re just getting started.” I only hope I can keep myself from developing deeper feelings for Ava. The more time I spend with her, the more powerfully I’m sucked in. She’s like a beautiful vortex drawing me closer.
She leans her head back on the headboard, staring up at the ceiling.
“What are you thinking about?”
“It’s weird how different my life is than it was a year ago. If you’d asked me then what I’d be doing now, never in a million years would I have imagined it going this way.”
I shift on the bed next to her until the side of my arm presses into hers. “Are you disappointed about that?”
She glances at me and shakes her head. “Not anymore.”
I smile. “Good. Now what’s the plan for tomorrow?”
“We’ve got the morning and afternoon to do whatever we want and then tomorrow night is the big party.”
“What do you say we get some shut eye then?”
She chews on her bottom lip. “Uh, sure.”
I catch hold of her still fidgeting fingers and she releases her hold on the sheet. “Relax. We’re going to sleep on our own sides of the bed.” I give her my most reassuring smile and scoot over. Shutting off the lamp, I roll to my back, getting as close to the edge of the mattress as I can. “Goodnight.”
“Night.”
The hum of the room’s air conditioning has almost lulled me to sleep when I hear Ava’s whisper. “Thank you for everything.”
“No thanks needed.”
“Remind me how we ended up sucked into doing this with Breth?” I aim a knowing look at Ava from the driver’s seat.
She snorts. “Breth?”
“Brian and Beth is too much to say. I shortened it. So answer my question. What gives?”
She holds her hands up in front of her. “I’m sorry. I caved when she pressured me this morning. I don’t know why, but I did, and now it’s too late to back out.”
“A string of text messages is pressure?” I arch a brow teasingly. “It’s okay. We’ll have fun, no matter what.”
“I don’t know about you, but hiking isn’t my cup of tea. Especially with those two.”
“How long of a hike are we going on?”
“We’re hiking Rattlesnake Mountain. It’s not a long hike, only around two and a half miles, but it’s steep and strenuous.”
“Don’t worry, we got this.”
Her eyes skeptically flick my way. “You might, but I’m a complete klutz.”
I bark out a laugh. “You’re funny. Says the most coordinated person I know.”
“No, really. You don’t understand. I’m only athletic when it comes to dancing. Otherwise, I’m an accident waiting to happen.”
I can hear the nervous vibration in her voice. “You’re serious then?”
“Yes. I can barely walk without tripping on a good day. Don’t you remember the barstool incident when we met?”
He chuckles. “I do remember, but that’s not really evidence of you being a klutz.”
“Oh, give it time. I’m sure by the end of this weekend you’ll be a firsthand witness to it.”
“Have you ever hiked this trail before?”
“My parents took us once when I was around fifteen.”
“And you survived.”
“Barely. And I twisted my ankle. Thankfully, it was when I was almost to the car, so I was able to limp the rest of the way.”
“I promise I won’t let you get hurt.”
“You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“I don’t promise things that I don’t intend to follow through with. You’ll be fine.”
“We’ll see.” She blows out a long sigh. “You’re going to pull into a parking area on the side over there.” She points. “It’s easy to miss because it’s so small.”
Following her instructions, I park the car next to a Lexus SUV. “Is that Brian’s vehicle?”
“You betcha. Nothing but the best for him.” She rolls her eyes.
“Are you sure we didn’t need to bring anything with us?”
“Breth said they’d take care of it all.”
I laugh. “It’s catchy, right?”
“It’s awesome,” she agrees.
“Okay, let’s do this.” I open my door and step out onto the pavement. Pushing the door shut, I slide my phone and keys in my pocket and make my way over to Ava’s door.
“You don’t have to open my door,” she whispers when I do.
“Boyfriends like to open their girlfriend’s doors.”
“Right.” She climbs out and I push the door closed.
Twisting my upper body from side to side, I limber up. And she does the same, mimicking my movements. She bends over to touch her toes and every drop of saliva in my mouth dries up like we’re in the desert.
Holy shit.
Her athletic shorts barely cover the bottom of her ass cheeks in this position. How am I supposed to focus on hiking, keeping Ava safe, deal with her asshole ex, and not think about her ass now that I’ve seen that view? I’m only human. I force myself to look away with a strangled groan and I don’t turn back until she’s upright.
“Hey, guys. I thought that was you. Are you ready?” Beth calls out as she heads our way.
“Sure are,” I reply with a reassuring hand on Ava’s back.
“Brian is right over there.” She points. “We have plenty of water and everything we’ll need.”
Ava slaps her arm. “I hope you have bug spray. Apparently, the mosquitoes here don’t realize it’s only noon and they’re not supposed to be out yet.”
Beth laughs. “We do. We’ve hiked this trail a few times.”
“Since when does Brian hike?”
Her sister’s eyes angrily dart to Ava. “Since we’ve been together.”
The air is thick with tension as we approach Brian. “How’s it going?” he asks, his eyes appreciatively raking over Ava in her leg-baring shorts.
I slap him on the back hard enough to hurt. “How are you doing, bro?”
His quick grimace doesn’t escape my notice and I chuckle silently to myself. Sometimes it’s the little things in life that bring such joy.
“I need bug spray if I’m going to do this,” Ava calls out, putting an end to all our greetings. Beth hands her an orange can and she goes to town spraying every bare inch of skin on the front of her body.
“Want me to get the back of your legs for you?” I offer, being the nice guy I am. Of course it has nothing to do with wanting an up-close-and-personal view of her ass in those shorts. Why would I want another look at such a phenomenal sight?
She holds out the can. “Yes, please.”
Taking it from her, I stalk around her like a predator. At least that’s how I feel in my own skin. I’m like a jungle cat ready to pounce on the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. Shaking the can, I get down to the task of spraying the long, well muscled columns of golden flesh. For someone fairly petite, her legs go on for days. I wonder how far down my back they would hang if I buried my face in her puss
y?
“All set,” I croak as I straighten up, covertly adjusting myself through my shorts. Fuck. I can’t allow myself to have those kinds of thoughts about Ava, or any girl for that matter. Haven’t I learned my lesson yet? What more do I need to endure before it sinks in fully?
“You should put some on too.” Ava places her palm on my arm, capturing my attention. Glancing down at her, I’m stunned by her natural beauty. Her green eyes shine up at me from beneath a hand shading them from the bright sun. Today they look lighter. Closer to jade than emerald.
Giving myself a cursory spray with the repellent, I hand the can off to her sister. Dropping my sunglasses from the top of my head, I shield my eyes. “Do you have sunglasses with you? I have an extra pair in my car if you need them.”
“Shoot. No, I don’t.”
Taking the opportunity to get some distance between us, I jog over to my car and grab the glasses. I walk back, watching Ava the whole way. Her arms are crossed over her chest and she’s avoiding looking at her sister or Brian. It has me wondering if they said something to upset her.
Pausing beside her, I wrap an arm around her shoulders. “Everything okay?”
She nods once, but her lips soften with a slight smile. It can’t be easy for her to be around these two even if she is over her ex.
I slip the sunglasses on her, smiling at how much of her small face the lenses cover. Leaning forward, I press a kiss to the tip of her pert nose. “There. Now you’ll be able to see where you’re going.”
“Thank you. Not that it will keep me from tripping, though.”
Chapter Eight
Ava
“Shall we get started?” Oliver asks. The sooner we begin, the sooner we can escape these two. If we’re going to see them tonight at the party, we’ll need a lengthy break after the hike. I can only take so much of being around them.
I clap my hands together and try to act enthused. “Might as well get to it.” I really wanted to say ‘might as well get this over with,’ but I don’t want to be a killjoy. And even though I’m angry at Beth, she’s still my sister and I love her.
“We’ll lead the way since we’ve done this trail before,” Brian states.
“Go for it.” Oliver gestures for them to precede us before taking hold of my hand. His large palm swallows mine comfortingly and he gives a gentle squeeze to reassure me. And it does. Knowing he’s here with me is helpful. I’m glad I didn’t try to brave this weekend alone. It would’ve been so much more difficult without Oliver to smooth out the awkward moments or to make light of them.
Brian and Beth move at a fast pace while Oliver and I are happy to let them place some distance between us.
“I’m glad you’re here with me,” I confess, surprising myself.
“Are you?”
“Absolutely. It’s nice to have someone on my side.”
“I’m not sure there are sides in a situation like this one.”
“Well, it feels like there are. Every time my parents smile at Brian, I want to shout that they’re traitors. I’m their daughter and he’s not even related to them.”
“I understand where you’re coming from, even though I’ve never experienced it. I guess this is one of the advantages of being an only child.”
“Lucky you.” My foot slips on a rock and Oliver tightens his grip, holding me upright. We pause for a moment. “Phew. Thank you. That was a close one.”
“I told you, I’ve got you.” He winks and my chest feels weak. What would it be like if this were real instead of pretend? If he were holding my hand by choice and not because of an obligation?
“I’m sure that’s not the last time I’ll need you to catch me, so be prepared.”
He chuckles. “I’ll do my best.”
“Are you going to get in any trouble for missing hockey this weekend?”
“Nope. There aren’t any games. And coach never gives me shit because I always give my all.”
“Good. I certainly wouldn’t want you dealing with repercussions from helping me.”
“Not to worry.”
“Tell me about life at the frat.”
“It’s mostly a bunch of guys hanging out. I spend a lot of time in my room by myself. It’s difficult for me to get used to the noise, and sometimes I just need peace and quiet.”
“I’m not sure I could live in a house full of girls. I hate drama, so I’d probably kill someone.”
“I didn’t have much choice when I moved out of the apartment I shared with Stacey. My friend, Clancy, told me to move in and it seemed like the best option. And now that I’m there, it’s too much work to move out when I’ll be done with school in May.”
“Clancy Wilde?”
“Yeah, do you know him?”
“Pfft. No, I don’t, but of course I know of him. Everyone does. But this is the perfect example of how you and I don’t exactly run in the same circles.”
“Clancy’s everyone’s friend.”
“Maybe, but not mine. I doubt you and I know many of the same people.”
“Playing hockey has made it easy for me to meet people. If you played a sport you’d find that too.”
“You guys need to keep up,” Beth yells in a whiny voice.
Oliver and I glance at each other and grin. “I guess we better stop slacking off,” he says, making a comical face.
We pause our conversation and focus on moving at a quicker pace along the trail. Every step requires my concentration now that we’re keeping up with the two of them. Having Oliver holding my hand is definitely helping. I might not trust my own athletic ability, but I do trust his.
“Where are you guys taking us?” I call out when I realize we’re getting off the usual trail.
“Hospital Rock.” Beth tosses the answer over her shoulder.
“What’s that?” Oliver inquires.
“There used to be a smallpox hospital here in the late seventeen hundreds,” Beth informs us.
“What?” I shriek. “Is this safe?”
Beth laughs. “Yes, it’s perfectly safe.”
Oliver squeezes my hand to let me know all is well and we keep progressing onward until Brian holds a hand up. He shucks his backpack off and unzips it. Beth reaches inside, removing a bag of white powder.
“Don’t tell me you guys are coke fiends now,” I joke.
My sister rolls her eyes. “As if,” she huffs. “This is flour. We’re going to use this to show you the names that are etched into this rock. All of these people stayed at the smallpox hospital. There are sixty-six names altogether.” She smooths flour over the names and they become visible.
My hand touches the cool, gray stone. “Wow, how incredible is it that over two hundred years ago these people stood in this exact spot and carved their names in this rock?”
“Pretty damn cool,” Oliver replies, releasing hold of my other hand and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. The four of us stand there in silence. Out of respect for those people and in their memory, I make sure to read every single name on the rock. Glancing at Oliver, I notice his eyes darting from one side of the surface to the other and assume he’s doing the same.
“I’m amazed at how they chiseled their names neater than I can write mine with a pen.” Oliver chuckles.
“Right?”
Beth returns the flour to the bag and Brian slings the strap over his shoulder. “Let’s get back on the trail.”
Oliver catches my hand once more and we follow them back to the path. The rest of the hike doesn’t take long and the view once we get to the top is beautiful. Oranges, reds, and golds dot the trees everywhere we look. The end of September doesn’t bring peak foliage, but it’s still stunning.
“That’s Hartford,” I tell Oliver, nodding toward the city in the distance.
“Nice. This view is amazing.”
Beth holds two bottles out. “Do you guys want some water or something to eat? We have apples, grapes, and cheese.”
“Hell yes, I’m starving and completely par
ched.” I tug my hand from Oliver’s and take the waters from my sister, handing one to him.
“Thank you.” His dark eyes are shaded from my sight by sunglasses, but still I feel the weight of his stare. It makes me feel even more breathless and a little light headed.
Twisting off the cap, I gulp down half of the liquid at one time. Maybe I’m getting dehydrated. That’s more likely to be the cause than Oliver. He’s just a guy like all the rest, and I need to remember that.
I can’t allow myself to romanticize what’s going on here. He’s basically an actor pretending to care about me for the weekend. Nothing more—nothing less.
The four of us sit on boulders and Beth passes around the bags of fruit and cheese. Oliver playfully tosses a grape in the air, catching it in his mouth.
“Impressive.” I nudge his arm with mine.
“You want to try?” He holds out a grape. Leaning forward, I bite off a piece, my lips brushing against his fingers before I back away. Rubbing my tingling mouth, I watch as he silently pops the remainder between his own lips. My eyes lower as he swallows, watching his Adam’s apple bob in his muscular neck.
I could make a full-time job out of watching Oliver. Confidence oozes from him with everything he does. Unapologetically masculine, but gentle at the same time, he’s so different than what I imagined.
I’m ashamed that I allowed myself to judge him by his relationship with Stacey. I know I wouldn’t want anyone holding my past with Brian against me. We all make mistakes, especially in the name of love. I only hope I’ve learned enough lessons from mine.
The walk back down the trail is easier, but Oliver’s hand still steadies me. He doesn’t release his hold until we reach the parking lot. Of course, that’s when I trip, tumbling to my knees. Ouch.
I’m lifted to my feet before I realize it and Oliver’s bent over, checking out the damage on my legs. His dark hair is soft against my skin.
“Here we go. I knew it was coming.” Beth snorts.
“Damn, that’s a nasty scrape.” Oliver’s palm soothingly rubs the outside of my thigh. “You tripped on your shoelace,” he states, tying my white lace in a bow.
Glancing down, I groan. “Shit.” It hurts worse now that I’ve seen how gross it looks.
