Roads of hope

Five

Dear reader,
If you enjoy what you read, PLEASE vote ⭐️ every chapter you do like. It's the only way the writer has to know if he/she is doing a good job! If you want to say something, please share your opinions too! I appreciate criticism!
Thanks!
~🔅~

Somewhere before noon, I am awaken by the sound of people moving around the room. After some failed atempts at falling back asleep in spite of the noise, I finally give in and open my eyes and see Melissa and Bree. "Good morning...what time is it? I came to bed at like 6 or 7 AM" I say in a yawn.
"It's almost noon", says one of the girls. "And good morning to you, too. Is your hangover as awful as ours?"
"Ugh you have no idea. The pounding in my head is killing me, and let's not start with the nausea. Just breathing makes me want to puke".
"Please let's all agree on not drinking as much tonight. It takes out all the fun. I can't even remember what happened last night", the other girl proposed.
"Agree", we three said in unison.
"Good morning, sleepy head! I need to talk to you, so go get ready for a morning walk. And feel free to have an advil from my bag", says Lena as soon as she steps through the door.
"Geez, thanks. I need it. Is there some breakfast somewhere?"
"Not at all. If you want something go get it yourself."
"You're such a good friend. I'll be right back." I jump down from the top mattress of one of the bunk beds and grab my towel and toiletries bag and head to the bathroom.
On my way to said bathroom, I spot Stephen with a bottled water on one hand a towel on the other, heading to the men's bathroom. He notices me before I can even think of avoiding me, and all memories from last night -or should I say this morning?- come crashing on me.
"Good morning, Em. How are you?" He says as if we didn't have sex just a couple hours before. Maybe it was just a dream? No, I'm not that lucky. Besides, I sweat that grin of him hides something.
"Emerson. I don't do nicknames. And I'm alive. Still. With an awful hangover. And you."
"Sorry. And same. We drank too much last night. The others are still in bed, actually. Hey would you like to go for a walk in the beach? I think we should talk."
Ugh he does remember. And wants to talk about it. I'm not that lucky, remember? "Yeah, we probably should...but Lena wants to tell me something and asked me to join her, too. So our little talk must wait until later."
"Oh sure, no problem. See you then."
"See ya!" And then we both enter our bathroom doors. But of course I was so entertained with the view from behind, that I didn't see there was a huge puddle in the bathroom and feel on my ass. Hard. He noticed and went to my rescue.
"Oh shit! Emerson, are you ok? Did you hurt bad?" He gives me his hand as an aid to stand up.
"Yeah but I'm ok, thanks for helping", I say standing up, and shaking off my butt as if I had dust on it.
"You sure you're ok? Don't you need me to check it out for you?" He says with a flirty smile.
"Stephen, thank you. Now please, get the hell out."
"Sure ma'am, at your service" he bows and goes out, followed by my closing the door.

~🔅~
After getting dressed in a denim short, a beige lace tshirt and flip flops, and having some breakfast, Lena and I go for my dreaded walk, because I'm pretty sure he just wants to talk about the kiss with Stephen. And she doesn't even know about the rest of it. Yet.
"So...you and Stephen, huh?" She says after a while of awkward silence.
"Lena, we just kissed. Everyone did. And you even kissed Melissa."
"You know I'm not talking about the kiss. I saw you too on the beach naked..."
"Oh my God..."
"Yes. Tell me everything before I go crazy imagining things."
"Well you don't have to imagine anything. We did have sex, outside, and it was AMAZING."
"Holly shit. I can't believe you did it! And with Stephen! Wait aren't you supposed to be working on the same place starting this week?"
"Yeah, I hope that doesn't make things awkward between us. I saw him earlier though, and he told me he wanted to talk. Why did I have to have sex with him, out if all the men here?"
"Because you obviously liked him from before. You two were making eyes at each other all day, you obviously hit it off before the weekend started."
"Yeah, I mean have you seen him? He is HOT. And then his seducing voice, and his smile, and his his eyes brighten when he speaks...and then when we kissed, how his hands roamed all over my body. It was impossible not to want to sleep with him."
"Oh shit. You really like him like him! You need to talk, I'm telling you. You can't let the sex come in between your work performance, no matter how mind-blowing it was."
"Hell it was mind-blowing. I think even the best ever. He felt so good." I say, drifting off to this morning, when he was touching and licking all my body, and then pounding his manhood inside of me. It was oh so good.
"We need to head back. And you tell him that talk must be said asap."
"Wait a second...you said you saw us. And you were supposed to be asleep at that time. What were you doing? Or may I ask who?"
"Oh no one" she starts fidgeting with her hair, which gives her lie away.
"And you think I'm stupid. Tell me, now."
"Ok ok, I was...I was with Edward. Please don't kill me!"
"Why would I kill you?" I say between laughs. "Actually...what the fuck? You and Edward? After so many years you just what? Realized you feel an endless and undying love for each other?"
"It's not like that...it's more complicated. We...it's not the first time we sleep together, and we haven't spoken about feelings. We just...enjoy being friends and having sex, but also I guess we both like being single, so we've never talked about it and both know the other's free to sleep with other people."
"So you're some sort of undeclared friends with benefits...since when? When was the first time?"
"You remember when we came here last year for your birthday?"
"Lena what the hell?! You have been sleeping with Edward for over a year and I didn't know? More importantly, you haven't spoken about your status?"
"I'm sorry...and it's not like we're steady, we just...we sleep together in the getaways and back home it hasn't happened more than three or four times..."
"So that's why he never brings anyone...because he already has someone."
"He doesn't have anyone. We're just two single friends who happen to sleep together every once in a while."
"Yeah, whatever. I just hope you don't hurt yourself in the game."
"I won't. Thanks for caring."
"Sure." We stay in silence for a couple more minutes until we arrive in the house, change into our bathing suits and pack some food to go to a nearby lake with the group.