LA to The Bay

Chapter 45: Bass Lake (5)

Bass Lake, California

'You can't actually expect me to walk any further?' I complain as Harry continues marching me along the lakes edge, the rods slung over his shoulder and a bucket in his hand, clearly not suffering from the same exhaustion as me.

'Stop complaining will you.' He dismisses me, 'we've just got to keep going until we find the right spot.'

'You've got to be kidding me, I thought you knew where we are going?' I roll my eyes at the ridiculousness of the situation; that we could be walking for the rest of the day if I let Harry continue with the lead.

'How would I know that; it's not like I've been to Bass Lake before, now is it?' It strikes me to answer that I have no idea if he has been here before since in reality I don't know the first thing about him. Despite having been in his presence for what seems like weeks on end and the continuing cycle of bickering between us, I don't know a single fact about the guy other than that he is asthmatic. He could be a murderer and I have willingly let him bring me out here and he is just dragging me further into the wilderness.

'That's it, you need to pick somewhere to fish right now or I'm not walking any further.' I order, if only to save myself from being led too far away from civilisation.

'Okay, we'll stop here, but if there aren't any fish then I'm blaming you.' He grumbles laying down his tackle whilst I arrange my towel on the bank.

'You're gonna get heat stroke lying around in all those clothes in this weather, or have you got shy all of a sudden?' I presume he is talking about the baggy jeans and t-shirt I am wearing, a deliberate choice to keep myself covered.

'No, I just felt cold today.' I lie whilst watching him peel his own white t-shirt over his head.

'So how do you like America?' I ask trying to distract the conversation to something more neutral.

'I love it and loathe it. I mean the girls are amazing.' He smiles at me. 'but it's so commercial, apart from the Grand Canyon and now here, it feels like we could be anywhere.'

'Yes, I know exactly what you mean.' For the first time I am agreeing with him. 'The Grand Canyon and right here, at Bass Lake, are definitely my favourite places too. America definitely wins on the natural wonder front.'

'Yeah, but you've not been to Australia; Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef are something else.'

'Maybe.' My voice trails as I remember that he has been doing this for a long time, travelling, and that I'm probably one of a number of girls he's brought to places like this around the world, I'm just the Bass Lake version. Whilst I have been to the grand sum of nowhere other than Cornwall and Majorca until got the guts to do this trip.

'I can't wait to get home to England though.' He continues. 'I've missed my mum so much whilst I've been away.'

I smile at him, surprised by his confession and inwardly laugh at the idea of missing my own mother; maybe I just need longer than a fortnight to develop any feelings of nostalgia towards her?

'Plus it will be great to hang out with Louis and Lottie at home too. It's so lucky that we will all be living in London.' Oh yes, how can we forget that it will take more than the ending of a holiday to break their bond; I'll give it a month before they're all moving in together.

'Yeah, and I bet you'll be stoked if Marty and Juno can make it over after New York too?' The idea of them all being together in London, my soon to be home town when I start University, why it's like the trip will never have ended.

'We'll see.' He shrugs his shoulders and raises his eyebrows in a cynical manner, 'I'd rather they stay in New York if I'm honest.'

I don't probe for further details but close my eyes, secretly smug that the Models Incorporated might not be as popular as the image they like to project, and I smile at the idea of how they would react if they knew that I was here at the lake alone with Harry, whilst they are off without him instead just looking at the side of a big rock.

'So what's with the cough?' Harry talks over at me from where he is now sitting on the ground, his knees pulled in to his chest and the fishing rod stuck in to the mud of the banking.

'Erm, I've got a cough I guess?' Of all the things to ask me why on earth would he think to talk about my cough?

'Yeah, but it's not just that is it?'

'What do you mean?' I shuffle on the towel uncomfortably, unsure of what he is getting at.

'But there's more to it than "just a cough".'

'So I cough when I get nervous okay, that's not that weird.'

'I just don't understand what you've got to be nervous about, that's all.' He's stood up and has walked over to where I am lying, now towering over me and I'm wondering if the real reason he brought me here is just so he can enjoy giving me some sort of warped emotional beating?

'Do you ever stop to think that I might be just nervous, that it's just part of who I am. I'm so sorry that I can't be more "chill" for you and that I actually am the total saddo loser that you all already think, so why torture me by making me say it?'

'Stand up.' He orders, acting like he just ignored everything I just said. I'm confused what is going on here, what he's trying to achieve exactly, but still I follow his instruction.

'What does someone as beautiful and clever as you are ever have to be nervous about? I don't believe that you don't have any friends. Everyone wants to be friends with you but it's you that won't let them.'

'I...' I look at the ground embarrassed by the boldness of his words.

'You need to realise what presence you have, and what power you could command, if you just believed in yourself, instead of covering yourself up like this.' He gestures at my outfit. 'You're not a wallflower Niamh.'

'I told you I was cold.' I stammer, flattered by his compliments but still uncomfortable talking about my deepest insecurities so candidly.

'I don't believe you.' His voice has gained the same low rasp that it did last night right before he kissed me. 'Swim for me.'

'What do you mean?' I look up at him wide eyed and nervous.

'I want to watch you in the water. I want to see what you look like when there's no one else watching but me. I want to see you enjoy yourself.'

I gulp down, unsure whether to do what he is asking.

Authors note: I'm going to stop talking about the songs I've uploaded for the next couple of chapters. Just listen :)