Beginnings and Endings [complete]

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

You know that feeling you get in your stomach when your balloon pops, the one you just got from a scary looking clown who turned it into a flower for you? Or maybe when the ice cream you've been saving up for the whole week drops when someone bumps into you? The sting of unshed tears,  the sadness in the pit of your stomach, knowing you had to wait for a while longer before you got it again. That was something like how I felt when I woke up the next morning.

I didn't mistake the rusty frame of the bed this time, but when I got up and went to the bathroom at 7, there were half a dozen girls there, drying their hair and doing it up. We had about five hours before the bus came, five hours to pack our bags, have breakfast, sit for another session and find out our Guardian Angels, and bid goodbye.

Naturally, the one person I didn't want to say goodbye to was Dominic. I didn't think he felt the same way, because I felt ludicrous for feeling so deeply for someone I'd known and fell for in less than a week, but when I saw his face, the expression his eyes were enough.

Nothing much was said during breakfast, not so much because we were all sad to leave, but because more than half of them went to sleep at like 5. After breakfast, we girls dragged our bags out, me with my dark blue luggage bag, Daniella with hers, and Mel heaving along the huge, conspicuous red thing that was her rollerbag.

When my uncle was expressing his gratitude for us being there, for our cooperation and blah blah blah, I couldn't help but look over to Dom, who had his face in one hand trying not to fall asleep. I smiled, thinking of how much we've been through in such a short span of days, and nudged him gently.

He blinked, confused, and turned to look at me with a sheepish grin; he took my hand as we turned to face my uncle again, and listened to the revealing of Guardian Angels. It was fun, really, and as we all walked, err...maybe trudged is a better word, we bid our goodbyes to the members of the other churches with promises of calling and Facebooking on our lips.

On our bus, we waved goodbye as the rest passed by, and I dibbed a window seat with Dom next to me. Daniella took her seat next to us with Mel, who wiggled her eyebrows at me with a happy grin.

When Philomena and Lee walked in, Dom looked at them confidently and cracked a joke that pulled out a sincere laugh from the both of them, but I avoided their gaze. I was scared, of what they would think and what my parents might say, and Dom knew it. To reassure me, he slipped his hand into mine. "You okay?" he whispered into my ear.

I winced at his warm breath tickling my ear, and pushed him away with a grin. "I'm fine," I said. reaching into my pocket I pulled out the last of the sweets someone had provided during camp. It was like processed...candy stuffed into a small, clear tube the length of my ring finger with different flavours. One of the girls had bought it in wholesale and distributed it during camp for free. It was a childhood favourite, and by the time the bus started moving, half the packet was gone.

We hadn't gone very far, though, before the engine spluttered, emitting a lot of black-grey smoke, and died. The bus jerked forward, nearly throwing me out of my seat. When I regained my balance, our driver had gotten out to check the damage amidst colourful curses, while the boys had gone out to help.

Five minutes later, when they still weren't back, someone in the back cursed. "Fuck, it's hot!" and she stormed out. It took me a while to realize it was Jess. We were content in the bus, but then the temperature began to feel like it shot up by like another twenty degrees, determined to fling us out of the bus, and we relented.

I was glad that I did. The driver said it the engine had overheated and it just needed some time to cool down, so the boys had taken off their shirts and were lounging around. More than half of them had abs, toned arms, fantastic bodies, really.

Suddenly, Alex tossed his shirt to his sister, Jess, got up and began...dancing. After some time I realized it was the first dance we learned from camp, four simple but silly moves that had to be done faster with every verse of the song. By that time the rest of the boys had gotten up and started dancing with him.

Mind you, this was happening by the side of the road.

As the cars passed, I imagined the passengers' faces even through the tinted windows, looking at them in bewilderment and probably thinking, 'nutjobs'. Dom shot me crazy looks and winked several times, making me laugh in delight.

A few of the girls had their phones and cameras out, and I regretted not having mine, but watching the real thing was better than seeing it through a phone screen. Besides, those videos would be up on Facebook, and everyone who was here would be tagged.

The bus driver stared at them incredulously, and trumped back into the bus muttering something like 'gay boys' as he went, and I laughed harder. When the engine started, the boys went through one last verse and ran back inside before we could leave without them.

Dom slumped into the seat next to me with a dazed look and a wild grin, panting. "That was fun," he said breathlessly as I handed him another candy tube.

"Definitely looked like it," I commented, grinning. "By the way, if I..."

"Go ahead," he cut across, shrugging.

I frowned. "But you didn't..."

He looked at me with a smirk. "Don't try not to fall asleep, because I know you will, and when you do, you can lean on my shoulder." He seemed extremely smug about it.

I pursed my lips, trying not to give him any satisfaction, but then he laughed, and I gave in, resting my head on his shoulder, which, ta-da! I could reach.

His arm snuck around my waist, pulling me closer, and I was glad that we didn't have handles in between seats. The sun was blazing, and the aircon hadn't kicked in yet, but this is the most comfortable warmth I've felt since Lennox hugged me after the concert. That was my last thought before I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I was still leaning against Dom's shoulder; his head had come to rest on mine, and the sudden weight lifted made me realize he'd fallen asleep too. Raising my head slightly, I lifted a finger and pulled the curtains apart a little.

I sighed somewhat sadly when the school gate came into view. This was goodbye for another two weeks. Instead of pulling away from his body, I snuggled in closer, and he wound his arms around me tighter. "Bye..." I said reluctantly, awkwardly. I looked up at him, and almost brushed my lips against his cheek.

But I stopped short, surprised with myself. This was the first time I have ever wanted to kiss a guy. When I moved away, taken aback by my own actions, Dom leaned down and pressed his lips very gently to my cheek. "Bye," he said softly, smiling lightly and hiding what he felt.

We let go of each other when the bus stopped, released each other's hands when Lee went to the front of the bus to thank us for coming and that we can stay in the school until our parents come to get us. The thing is, while Dom's parents were coming later, mine were already here.

So when I got down with Dom following close behind, he took the cue to be nothing more than a friend, and helped me with my bags. "Take care!" he called after me, waving with a friendly grin that even my parents would've believed was just a friendly gesture.

He turned away from me, but I looked on, yelling goodbyes to other friends and grinning at them, and finally faced my parents. My heart was beating irregularly, so scared of what they would have to say about the whole lake incident, about how they would react if and when they found out about Dom.

But they greeted me with genuine smiles and sincere kisses, asking me how was camp and whether I was hungry, about the other two churches that joined and what new friends I made. My heart relaxed a little, but I was still so tense and worried. They didn't notice  though, not even when my phone buzzed in my pocket.

Dom: I miss you already.

It was so cheesy, so corny, and yet so sweet. I smiled to myself as I replied his message, not taking a break from telling my parents all about camp, because I liked the fact that I had someone who said these things to me again, and I could reply them just fine without feeling awkward or guilty.

Adrianne: You have no idea :)