A Pearl In The Oyster ☑️

37. Le secret - The Secret

I soon learned that the cabin actually belonged to André. The proof of it was in the countless photos hung up on the walls inside. And me being the extremely nosy person that I am, I stopped to stare at them.

There was the miniature version of André, in his natural dark brown hair. His grey eyes were a great contrast to the dark hair, and he was actually smiling in all of these pictures. Wide, toothy grins were all I could see, and I had to admit he looked cute. There were so many with his parents, some with an older boy who resembled Janvier, and others, alone.

When André noticed I wasn't following him, he turned around from the top of the stairs to see what stopped me. Looking at him, I smiled.

"You must have visited this place a lot in childhood."

"Dad and Janvier, both are fond of camping, just like me. So we did come here a couple of times."

I took one last look at the happy pictures, and climbed up the stairs. These rich people sure had an obsession with adding stairs to every house. Even if I climbed these thrice a day, it would be enough exercise for me.

But this cabin was quite warm and cozy, unlike the house I lived in. The wooden flooring and cream colored walls welcomed me like a mother's embrace, and it's small size ensured I wouldn't lose my way in here. There were two rooms in the cabin, and we each occupied one of them. Leaving our luggage in the rooms, we went back down.

André already had all the camping equipment in here, so all we had to do was build the tent. But I soon found out it was easier said than done. Setting up a tent was one of the most difficult things on earth.

"Oh God, what's wrong now?" I whined, asking my tent, as if it could speak up.

"You're holding it wrong. You need to hold it tighter and stretch it to tie it around the nail." André helped me from the other side.

I said, "That's the thing. I don't have any strength remaining to pull this thing even tighter."

Groaning, I gave up. Sitting on the wooden plank, I watched André swiftly tie the tent. This was the first time I'd seen him this concentrated and immersed in anything, and the sight mesmerized me. We had been working for about thirty minutes now, and he had taken off his jacket, revealing his plain white t-shirt.

His arm muscles rippled as he drew another nail into the plank, and beads of sweat rolled down his nose, onto his lips, and down his neck. Blinking rapidly, I forced myself to come to my senses. All these steamy novels Lily made me read were really getting to me. I can't believe I was thinking about André as if he was a main character in some book.

Clearing my throat, I stood up and went to take a short walk along the banks of the lake. There was a boat tied on the far end of the lake, and I promised I would remind André to take that for a ride across the lake.

A few minutes later, André called out to me, "Come on, it's all done."

I walked back to the tent, and it was indeed fixed perfectly. Sighing in delight, I went to check the inside, and it looked so cozy. If only I could keep warm in it, I would love to sleep in there.