CASUAL AFFAIR; brendon urie

Chapter Five

And that's how I found myself leading the way back along with balcony, making a quick stop at my car to pick up two bottles of Jessa's forgotten beer, and round to the back into the woods that surrounded Gram-Gram's lakehouse with Brendon Urie.

"Um ... so you have a destination in mind?" Brendon asked as he stumbled over yet another loose tree root. I was beginning to realise that among all Brendon's admirable qualities, coordination was not one of them.

I looked over one shoulder at him and shot him a smile. "You'll just have to wait, see, and follow me."

"Hey, that rhymed." He said with a breathless grin, tripping a little, and trying to style it out. "I should probably be worried, right? A girl I barely know, dragging me through unfamiliar woods ..."

"And you were the guy stupid enough to follow." I quickly side-stepped a fallen branch, then a prickly bush that threatened to tangle in my skirt and snag me. "Deal with it."

I didn't look back, but I could hear him chuckle, and could just imagine him shaking his head. That, and a moment later, when there was a swift thwack, which sounded to me like a foot catching under a raised root and holding their captor tight, followed by a surprised and breathless 'hmpf!' and Brendon crashed into what was most likely a tree.

I sighed under my breath, and tried not to roll my eyes, as I turned around to check on him. And there he was, confirming my suspicion, as he lay slumped against a tree, clutching the trunk with white knuckles, rigid hands. One shoulder was pressed against the tree, and his eyes were slightly wide, cheeks pink. His eyes flickered over to mine, and he gave me a sheepish half smile, before straightening. "I fell." He said as if I'd somehow missed that.

"Noted." I held my fingers of one hand out in a gotcha gesture.

He nodded, and went to dust his suit down, but as his palms made contact, he abruptly winced, and jerked one hand away. He looked down at it, frowning, eyebrows knitted together.

He looked mighty surprised when I came over and took his hand gently, inspecting the damage. It's wasn't bad, but the shallow cuts and scrapes that covered his palm would sting like a bitch. There was also a small thorn embedded in the skin. I gently took the part that stuck out between my thumb and forefinger and looked at him.

He sucked his lips in, and looking a little fearful, nodded. He let out a sharp intake of breath as I yanked it out, and threw it away onto the forest floor. "You didn't touch any poison oak, did you?

He shook his head. "No ... at least I don't think so, anyway."

"Okie-doke." I said, and held up a finger to indicate I'd be one moment, and looked around us until my eyes found what I was looking for, and I tottered over to it, crouching to yank out one of the leaves.

I straightened and went back to him. I indicated he hold his hand out, which he did obediently, and then I spat on the leaf, rubbing it together a little, and then sticking it down firmly on his palm.

Brendon watched this all with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. "What-"

"Dock leaves. They help with nettle stings, mostly, but they also help with scratches like this. They sooth, and clean the dirt out. But I would highly recommend you get a band aid on that when you get home." I told him, and smoothed the leaf out more.

"How do you know all that?" he asked in wonder.

"Dude," I arched an eyebrow. "I grew up with these woods."

I went to pull my hand away, put his fingers closed around mine, and I blinked in surprise at the gesture. Brendon looked right back at me, unwavering, deep brown eyes holding mine like a spell. Then he gave me that half smile. "For my balance." He shook our joined hands a little.