FOREST

15 - adventures and piggyback rides

"What?" she repeated the question, barely able to see Kaden's face in the dark.

"We're going on an adventure! Come on," he smiled.

"Jesus, Kaden," she sat up, "you're drunk aren't you?"

"Who cares?" he uncovered her, finding her cold hand under the covers. He pulled her up and started heading outside, but she wouldn't move.

"Kaden," she sighed, "Even if we were to go, I can't go like this."

"Bullshit, you look perfect, come on," he said, even though he couldn't see her.

She knew that the words came from a place of alcohol, but they still made her feel something as she followed him outside.

"I'm barefoot," she commented, stepping onto the cold, stone path.

He turned around to look at her, then at her feet, and crouched.

"Climb on me," he instructed.

"What? No," she shook her head.

"It's only a quick piggyback ride, come on."

She couldn't believe what she was doing, but she listened to him and climbed onto his back. He stood up, a bit unsteadily at first, but once he found his balance he started walking. Her completely bare legs, except for her small, black cotton shorts, were placed on his hips, her arms loose around his neck.

"Kaden, we aren't going into the woods, are we?" she tensed a bit as he passed the area where the tents were and headed straight for the forest in front of them.

"Zoie-"

"No, no way," she tried to unwrap her legs, but he kept them in place.

"Don't move, you'll fall," he told her, without stopping.

"You're drunk, we'll get lost and-"

"Just trust me, please," he said, his hand caressing a small part of her leg.

She stopped trying to get away, even though she knew that the whole plan would just lead to disaster. Instead, she rested her head on his shoulder, barely holding onto him with her arms.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea Kaden," she whispered.

"You really like saying my name, don't you?" he smiled and tried turning towards her, making her move her head away.

"I don't," she said, too quick to defend herself, making him laugh.

He managed to move between the trees easily, not letting her down once. At one moment, she moved his hair away from his face and he almost lost it as her fingers slowly made their way across his cheeks.

After a few minutes, he stopped. They didn't make it anywhere in particular, the forest didn't change in any spectacular way in the area they were standing in, but he stopped.

Gently, he put her down onto the soft grass, and she ignored the way it tickled her, staring into his eyes, puzzled.

"Why are we here?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" she started becoming angry, her knees starting to shake from how cold she was, "We're in the middle of a forest in the middle of the night and you don't know why you brought me here?"

"Don't be angry," he said, but she just grew more and more furious, noticing how drunk he was and how stupid she was.

"I'm freezing, let's get out of here," she rolled her eyes, but he stopped her.

"Wait, I lied," he said, "I know why I brought you here."

He slammed his lips against hers, holding her head in place with one of his hands. Her knees started giving in and he lowered her onto the ground, not breaking the kiss once.

"Kaden-" she breathed out, but he cut her off.

"Did you really mean what you said?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, his face only inches away from hers.

"You'd really let Landon eat you out?"

She laughed at him. He looked like a small, innocent child with alcohol laced breath, hurt by words she didn't even mean.

"I wouldn't," she smiled.

"Would you let me?" he asked, one of his warm hands travelling up her cold thigh.

"No," her eyes widened, stopping his hand, "Stop it."

"You're lying," it seemed like she cooled down and he was the one getting angry.

"I don't want you to eat me out," she laughed, her hair spread over the green grass.

He didn't say anything, but he was stronger than her and managed to keep moving his hand, despite her trying to stop him. It went over her black cotton shorts and she flinched, her pulse quickening.

"Kaden don't," she looked scared. He was glowing, proud for proving his point.

"I know exactly what you want. And if you're not going to tell me the truth, your body is," he slowly, teasingly started pushing his hand down the waistband of her shorts and she grabbed his arm, once again attempting to stop him.

"Don't," she stopped laughing, his warm fingers burning her skin.

"Babydoll-"

"I don't care about you proving your point, move," she was dead serious.

He realized that she was not kidding, but instead of completely moving away, he just removed his hand and placed it on her side.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Just move Kaden!"

She could tell that he was sorry, but she wasn't sure whether her heart was in her throat because she was on the edge of being assaulted or because he might have been right. Either way it was all too much for her and she wanted to get away.

"Zoie," he sighed, but sat up, "I-"

"You're drunk, I know," she spat, getting up, "how the hell are we supposed to get out of here now?"

She looked around, but everything seemed the same, as if all the trees were just repeating themselves.

"Get on," he turned his back towards her.

"No."

He stood up, walking towards her. He lifted his hand up to touch her face, but she moved away.

"I stopped," he defended himself, "You have the right to be angry, but just know that I did stop when you asked me to."

"After asking you a hundred times?" she spoke coldly, still trying to figure out where they came from.

"Please, just let me take you back," he sighed.

"No," she started walking in the wrong direction.

He sighed but walked after her and picked her up from behind, pulling her to his chest.

"LET ME GO KADEN," she shouted, kicking him.

"You're already mad at me, so I don't care how much you shout - you're not walking all the way back barefoot," he said, the faint smell of alcohol creeping up to her.

"Gosh," she stopped kicking, "fine, at least let me get on your back, this isn't comfortable at all."

He put her down and she did as she said. Kaden started walking back to the tents, and even though Zoie didn't think he would find the way back intoxicated, not too long afterwards the end of the forest appeared.

Kaden walked up to their tent and placed her down onto the bed. She placed the cold covers over her, moving all the way to the edge of the bed. He took off his jeans and climbed in as well.

So many thoughts circled around his head, but he listened to someone laugh in the tent nextdoor, letting the poisonous silence in theirs eat him out.