Art of Opposites

Chapter 9 ~ Midnight Hikes

James' POV

Sleeping next to Venice was... interesting.

Currently she was laying across my stomach, her chest rising and falling softly. After tossing and turning for an hour she finally fell asleep, only to roll onto me. The first time I had tried to roll her off me she had groaned and latched her arms around my waist. I shifted slightly, attempting once again to get her back onto the large blanket we had spread out on the floor because it had been too hot for sleeping bags.

"Five more minutes." She mumbled while a hand lazily trailed across my shirtless stomach.

"Sorry hot-stuff, didn't mean to wake you." I said, throwing in the nickname solely because I knew she didn't like them. Venice shot up, eyes wide yet somehow still sleepy. When she realized that she was on top of me her cheeks flushed and she practically jumped to the other side of the tent.

"I'm so sorry!" She gushed, face flaming as red as the roots of her hair. "I didn't mean to, I swear-" she cut off suddenly, confusion then irritation flashing across her face as quick as lightning.

"Don't call me that!" She folded her arms across her chest. If looks could kill I'd be six feet under the ground, but I'll be damned if she didn't look cute as fuck-

Nope. Nope. Nope.

I shook my head and blinked before covering up my thoughts with a smirk. "Sorry." She rolled her eyes like she didn't believe me.

"Honey." Her head snapped up and she narrowed her eyes. She opened her mouth - probably to tell me to shut it - but I cut her off.

"Babe."

"Sweetie."

"Darling."

"Pumpkin."

"Lover."

"Make it fucking stop!" She whined and covered her head up with her pillow. I couldn't stop the laugh that slipped through my lips and she looked at me in surprise.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head. "You just have a really nice laugh."

I felt my cheeks go hot and she grinned.

"And you're cute when you blush." She giggled at my embarrassed expression. "Although that's usually my thing."

"Whatever." I huffed and rolled over. Not even a minute later I heard her moving around, then the sound of the zipper on the tent.

"Where are you going?" I asked, looking over to see her halfway outside.

"It's too hot and I'm too awake." She said with a shrug before slipping through the flap. After hesitating for a second I jumped up and quickly caught up to her - I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep either. She looked at me but didn't seem to mind as she just kept walking.

She was right, it was too hot and humid. I could only see a few stars and part of the moon through the patches of clouds that covered the night sky. There was a slight breeze but it was warm and smelled like the ocean.

I tried to focus on anything but Venice, but it was hard.

The oversized basketball shorts and tank top she was wearing shouldn't be so distracting. Her wild mess of red waves and curls shouldn't make him want to run his fingers through it. The way her legs seemed to stretch on for miles shouldn't be such a turn on.

But it was. And I seriously needed to stop thinking about it.

"So," I began. "Where are we going?"