𝑇𝑜 𝐸𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑒 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦

𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑

(𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑦 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑂𝑢𝑡 𝐷𝑎𝑦𝑠 -𝐹𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝐼𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑥- (𝑆𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑑) 𝐻𝑒𝑟𝑒)

꧁....................꧂

It's cold.

I hug myself for warmth as I sit across from a crackling fire. The trees and bushes around me illuminated by the orange flame.

I look up at the sky, seeing an array of bright twinkling stars. The moon in a crescent shape and lightly glowing.

I sigh turning my attention back to the flame, lightly placing my head on my knees. I look longingly at the flames, almost as if I am looking for something.

My attention is snapped back to reality when someone emerges from the bushes.

It was the boy I hated.

We got stranded out in the forest when we got split up from our group on a school field trip. Just my luck, of all people I could get stranded with its him.

He was a tall boy, about 6'1 or 6'2. He was built but also on the leaner side. He had bright blue eyes, and plump pink lips. His hair a dirty blonde color, looking almost brown in the shadows.

"Find anything?" I ask softly, not wanting to irritate him.

He had gone to find something for us to eat, but from the looks of it he had no luck.

"I found some berries." He huffs, tossing a cloth in front of me.

I look at the cloth and then back to him, "Have you eaten?" I question.

"No but it's okay. I'll be fine." He assures with a roll of his eyes.

I grab the cloth and take half of the berries out.

"Here." I chirp, getting up from my spot.
"I don't need any really." He grumbles in irritation.
"Oh come on, can you just not be an ass this once please?" I plead, grabbing onto his wrist.

I hadn't meant to grab him. This was our first time ever making physical contact, it was strange yet..... calming? We both look down at me holding onto his wrist then back to each other's faces. Both a red hue, or was that just the fire?

With that, I let him go and place the berries in his callused palms. He thanks me and I take my seat back on the other side of the fire.

I pop a berry into my mouth, it's bitter causing my nose to scrunch and my eyes to water. But once the bitterness was gone my mouth was full of a sweet and soothing flavor.

I look over to the boy, curious to see if he had eaten his berries. And to my surprise he was no longer in front of me. He was gone.

Or so I thought, next thing I knew he plopped down right next to me.

He sat with his arms behind him for leverage, while both his legs were laid out in front of him comfortably.

He tosses his head up towards the night sky and sighs.
I keep my eyes on the fire, ever so often tossing a berry into my mouth.

The air was cold and empty, the sound of forest creatures in the darkness filling the silence between me and the boy I supposedly hate.

I want to say something but nothing forms, so I just continue to eat. I went from having ten berries to having two. I decided to just toss the last two in my mouth, and copy the boys posture.

He turns his head from the sky to me, laying his head on his shoulder as his bright eyes bare into me.

I could tell he wanted to say something but couldn't.

I stare back, admiring him. Though I probably shouldn't be, I just couldn't help it.

"Can I tell you something?" He asks breaking the silence but not our eye contact.
"Sure." I shrug.

He sighs deeply and runs a hand through his hair.

"I like you." He declared.

It threw me of.

Of all things that's not what I had expected him to say.

I sit there in front of him with my mouth parted and my eyes wide.

"I've liked you for a while actually. Ever since I met you, there's just been something about you that I'm drawn to. My way of showing it is really confusing though. I get that, and you probably think I've hated you this whole time; when in reality I was just trying to get your attention." He stated.

Still once he finished speaking I sat there dumbfounded. Was this a dream? A prank maybe? There's no way this was really happening. My heart rate increased as I noticed he was gonna want some sort of response, the only thing is...... I don't know how I feel.

I grow restless and being to adjust how I'm sitting. I'm no longer sitting as chillily as he was, I am sitting straight up with my hands towards the fire while I thought.

"I understand if you don't feel the same. I just felt like this was the best time to get it off my chest. Sorry if it made you uncomfortable." He assured.

Him saying that relaxed me a lot, knowing he didn't expect a response.

But a part of me still wanted to give him one.

"I wouldn't say I like you...... but I am more comfortable with you now then I was before." I respond softly, still facing the fire ahead.

As I stare deeply into the fire a shiver goes down my spine. Though so close to the fire I was still cold.

It had to be around 10 or 11 pm, getting into the colder time of the night.

"Are you cold?" He asks, watching me hold myself.
"Yeah, kinda." I reply, sheepishly.

With that he scoots over and wraps his arm around me and pulls me in closer to him. He smelt of smoke and a hint of...... vanilla?

It was strange at first, but the more I sat there close to one another; the smell began to become addicting.

I wondered if we'd ever be found, or if I even really wanted us to be. The more I thought about it, I noticed there where things I actually really liked about him.

And who knows maybe that's me just trying to create something from nothing because I know he likes me. But in this moment, and this moment alone where we are close and he holds me......I'm happy.