The Boy In the Basement (Completed)

~Just The Beginning~

One Month Later

"I feel like I'm melting," I said, wiping my forehead as we ventured further down the paved path. It was the middle of June, and today, the sun was especially beating down. It didn't help that the hike was all orange-red sand and decorated by little bushes and pokey plants. Desert much?

"That was actually my goal today- to turn you into a human Popsicle. I can see it's working," Jaxon quipped, straight-faced. I scoffed, punching his beefy arm muscle, and got a small smile in return.

"You should be careful. There are rattlesnakes in this area, according to the sign, and I heard their favorite dish is arrogant bad boys." Jaxon rolled his eyes, looking at me with a smug face.

"And where did you hear that?" I shrugged, stumbling over a rock jammed into the dirt.

"Personal experience... did I ever tell you about my very first boyfriend?" Jaxon stopped, and whipped around in his tracks, grinning.

"I thought I was your one and only!" He exclaimed, pouting.

"Er...No, that's where you're wrong. I actually have quite a colorful dating history," I replied carefully, playing up a guilty conscience. Not that I could fool him. Jaxon was well aware of his only competition, my boyfriend of about 57.2 hours, not that it really counts. Unlike him, I was all very new and experienced to this whole relationship thing. Pretty sure he gets a kick out of that.

"Mmhmm. Make sure to tell me the gruesome details later," He said, clearly knowing there was no such thing.

"We'll see," I retorted, starting forward ahead of him. He cracked up, jogging a little to catch up with my speedier pace. The trail leveled out a little, remaining on a slight decline, and began curving to the left.

"Hey, I thought we agreed I lead," Jaxon complained, trying to get a couple steps in front of me. I cut him off, jumping in front.

"No, we're taking turns! Plus, you're kind of a sucky leader. You don't even warn me about rocks or deadly bugs or.... old couples," I argued with a smirk, referring to early when we started running and accidentally crashed into a poor old lady. Don't worry, we helped her back up and sincerely apologized, although it didn't get rid of the embarrassment. Jaxon frowned playfully.

"Hmm... you have a point, but allowing someone as uncoordinated as you lead the way? Let's think this through." A mock worried expression was painted on his face. I shook my head with a smile, taking the leader position.

"Nah, I'd rather get going." I took off down the hill, taking easy confident strides forward. Jaxon immediately followed close behind, a little too close, in my opinion.

"I'll be right behind you... just in case," He whispered in my ear. I shook him off, continuing down the path. For the fiftieth time, I turned my head and looked out at the ocean stretching across the horizon. The sun was gleaming off it, and the faint sound of the shore was music to my ears. I was so ready to dive into the cool glossy water, and I probably would as soon as we got down this infinite hill.