Gentry

Tampered

My feet felt light at they hit the bottom of the stairs. Mrs. Aken appeared to be the only inhabitant of the large and open main floor of the cabin. She sat perched on one of the stools at the bar in the kitchen, holding a cup of what smelled like freshly brewed herbal tea. She looked up at me from her tablet as I entered the kitchen.

"There's some cherry cheese danishes on the counter there." Alivia Aken pointed out.

She went on about one of the neighboring cabins being owned by some of Mr. Aken's old college friends and how one of their wives had dropped off the treats. Plucking one of the delicious looking treats from their decorative tray, I took a hungry bite.

"Those photos River took of you seem to have taken over the web!" Mrs. Aken exclaimed

"Really?" I asked, pouring myself a cup of tea.

Mrs. Aken turned her tablet to face me. I leaned against the counter, holding the hot mug in my hands as she scrolled through several tabs she had open. River had proudly posted his photos all over his social media pages several days ago. From the moment they went up, Elaina had been blowing up my phone telling me how I had made headlines and how our local news even had a spotlight segment. I had believed she had been exaggerating her claims until now.

I stared at the pictures, seeing myself absolutely glowing. From the moment we had arrived back at the cabin that night, Mrs. Aken seemed to notice the shift between us. Her own husband had had to remind her to keep from meddling in her son's affairs, but that didn't stop her from giving the all-knowing motherly look whenever Mr. Aken's back was turned.

"Where is River? He wasn't in his room." I asked, finishing my last bite of danish.

"He ran off to take some scenic pictures off of the trails." Mrs. Aken said.

I nodded as she walked around the bar and placed her mug on the counter top. Her all-knowing and suggestive smile crept onto her features as she picked up the cyan colored water bottle. She plucked my nearly empty mug out of my hands and replaced it with the water bottle. 

"Would you be alright with taking this to him? That boy ran off so quickly he forgot to take his water, and I've got some loose ends to tie up for your wedding cake." Alivia said with a smile.

She was ushering me to the door and before I could even answer, her phone rang and she was gone to answer it. Slipping on my grey canvas shoes, I quietly closed the door behind me. River's car remained in the driveway, so I knew he couldn't have gone as far as we had to take photos before. I smiled as I entered the treeline that lead to the hiking path River and I had walked the other day, remembering all the little details he'd pointed out on our date and how he had said he wished he would've brought his camera along.

I was puffing as I rounded the steep dirt path that wound around the dense vegetation and trees that surrounded the lake's bluffs. I heard River's voice as I approached, but as I rounded the corner, I halted in my tracks as the harsh click of his camera pierced the air.

I bit the inside of my cheek, attempting to hold back the anger and hurt that bubbled in my chest. The clanging of the metal water bottle hitting the ground and rolling caught the attention of River, as well as the bikini clad girl he had between his arms and who he was assisting holding his camera. She looked smug as she leaned back against his chest and they looked at me.

"Lakyn?" River pulled away slightly, "What's wrong?"

As he moved towards me, my eyes stung and I shook my head. He called after me as my legs swiftly carried me down the hiking trail. My lungs felt on fire as I burst through the tree-line, and my tears dampened my cheeks as I climbed the stairs and burst through the cabin doors. The lump in my throat made it too difficult to answer Mrs. Aken as she jumped, startled by my sudden entrance.