Needless to say, sleep seemed to elude Emma. It had been at least an hour, and she still had yet to fall asleep, unlike Kandy, who was snoring peacefully in the sleeping bag beside her. Every little noise outside the tent made her jump with fear, and every sound made her look in that direction. Nature didn't seem to want to give her a break tonight, with trees casting scary shadows inside the tent.
Emma let out a heavy sigh, rubbing her hands down her sleep-deprived face before climbing out of her bag. Slipping on a pair of flip-flops, she grabbed a small pink flashlight from her bag. Looking down at her sleepwear, it was just Blake's big Green Day shirt and a pair of night shorts hidden by the shirt's length.
She decided against putting on the shorts Kandy lent her because she probably wouldn't be outside for long in the dark. Figuring she would take a little walk around the camp to tire herself out, she silently crawled out of the bag without waking Kandy, zipping it behind her.
She felt the warm breeze hit against her legs as she switched on the light, looking around their dark campsite. Everyone else seemed to be busy sleeping. She walked over to the small lake a few feet away, sitting on the hard ground beside the dock. She looked out over the water for a moment before looking beside her, picking up a rock, tossing it across. It skipped the clear water, landing with a plop a few feet away.
"Your technique is all wrong, Pear," the deep voice from behind made her jump, almost falling into the water. She turned her head, looking up at Blake, shining the bright light in his eyes, making him squint and hold up a hand. He wasn't wearing a shirt, just black and white plaid night shorts, making Emma blush while pushing her hair behind her ear.
"Huh?" It was all she could manage to say while shining the light away from his eyes, making him smile.
"I just wanted to let you know you're lacking in the rock-skipping department," he shrugged, making her laugh and look back at the water for a moment, her hand picking at the plastic of the flashlight. Looking back up at him, tilting her head to the side, a brow slightly raised "And I'm guessing you could do so much better?" He nodded, apparently confident in his own abilities.
He walked closer, slowly, shoes crunching against the dry leaves before sitting beside her, so close she could smell his cologne. He looked around for what seemed to be the perfect rock, making her roll her eyes.
"Does it need to be a special type of rock or something?" He looked up at her from underneath his hair while picking up a smooth, flat, oval-shaped stone. Holding it up as if to show it to her.
"Well, it needs to be a small flat rock to go far." Her mouth formed an O shape as she nodded her head. This was starting to remind her of when they went to the carnival after prom. Blake had a talent for throwing things.
"And preferably smooth." He grabbed her right hand, pulling her out of her own thoughts, placing the rock in the middle. The rock was smooth and cool to the touch. "Give that one a try."
She looked down at the rock on her palm before flexing her fingers, flinging it across the water. It definitely went farther than her previous stone, about a yard away. After it plopped into the water, she turned to face him.
"I'll admit you were right; it did go farther. But all I'm saying is I didn't know I had an audience watching me. Maybe I would have done better if I knew you were watching... stalker." She crossed her arms while the corner of his mouth turned up. He stood back up, dusting off his shorts. "I knew you would probably come out here by how scared you got with the scary stories." Her eyes widened slightly.
She couldn't help but feel embarrassed that he saw her get scared like this; she didn't think anyone really noticed. "Plus, it would suck to lose you to a wild bear or something." He let out a little laugh, watching as she climbed to her feet.
"Sooo, you're saying you can protect me from a bear?" she teased, pointing a finger at him, trying not to stare at his abs.
He nodded his head as she smoothly walked past him. "Definitely." They shared a laugh before a silence settled over them, just the soft sounds of nature wrapped around them.
"Hey..." he started, meeting her eyes with a cute smile.
"Hi?" she asked back, biting her lip.
"You wanna go see something cool?" He started walking backward, in the opposite direction of the camp, with the smile still on his lips. He reached out a hand in her direction. She licked her lips, not even breaking eye contact, as she grabbed his hand, ready for him to lead her on yet another adventure.
(Mia note-Who doesn't love a good moonlit walk)
YOU ARE READING
It Started With Hello
Romance***** Emma Pear knew she wasn't the most popular girl in high school. Her nose was usually buried in a textbook, and her grades were as spotless as her reputation for always following the rules. "Nerd" was a label she'd long since embraced. Her pare...
