Catboy

13

The air was still and calm, and Julian could pick up the sounds of bees flying a few metres away.

Even with his ears taped back and hidden under a hat, he could hear every rustle of the leaves, every whisper of wind through the grass. He smiled. Compared to the city, this was quiet, ridiculously quiet. He stood outside of the car, waiting for Lawrence to grab his bag out of the boot.

Lloyd stood beside Lawrence, taking in the view. Even though it was cold, the snow hadn't quite settled yet. They were high up on a mountain, looking down at a deep valley covered in the red of the autumn leaves. Lloyd smiled, looking down at the drop. He could see the whole world from here.

Lawrence heaved the others' bags out of the car, setting them down on the rough gravel pathway leading up to the cabin. The three of them had stopped by the cabin owner's house to pick up the keys and read the rules.

No smoking. No drinking. No parties.

No asking why the hell we're here all of a sudden.

Lawrence had been meaning to ask, but Julian had simply brushed all of his questions away with a simple shrug and a 'I think it's about time we got out of the house'. He seemed to think that he was invincible, unknowable- that Lawrence couldn't see the guilt and flashes of sadness in his eyes whenever he talked about this trip. But there were flashes of excitement, too, and so Lawrence had decided to give up on asking. It was probably for the best.

They made their way up to the cabin, Julian dragging both his and Lloyd's suitcases behind him, despite the other boy's protests. Lawrence trailed behind, glancing around him and smiling at the red and orange leaves surrounding them. Even though he was still somewhat wary, the place sure was... Lawrence sighed, trying to remember the word in English. захватывающий. Breathtaking. That was it.

Julian unlocked the door and stepped inside of the cabin. "Whoa."

It wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either, all wooden floors and fur rugs. There was a large fireplace in the center of the room, directly in Julian's line of sight. He took another step forward, Lloyd just behind him, and set his bag down by the door. "This is a lot better than I expected."

"Yeah?" Lloyd said, gently taking his bag out of Julian's hands. "I reckon it's pretty awesome."

Julian turned and smiled back at him, and, all of a sudden, Lawrence understood.

"Excuse me," he said, and pushed past the two of them. "I'm gonna go check out the rooms." He smiled at Julian, even though there was no way for him to say what he wanted to say out loud. You got this. Good luck, man.

Julian watched him leave, wondering what the smile was for. He didn't have much time to worry about it- Lloyd nudged his side with his free hand. "Come on, dude, get inside so I can shut the door." Julian startled, then quickly obliged.

"Yeah, sorry."

Once they made their way down the hallway to the rooms, Julian quickly realised there was going to be a problem.

There were only two beds- one king-sized, one single. Julian stared at them in disbelief. "Why the hell didn't they warn us about this? The website said there were three! What the fuck?"

Lloyd stared at the beds in somewhat of a distaste. "Lawrence can have the king, and you can have the single."

"Why do I get the single?"

"Because it describes you."

Julian snorted, rolling his eyes. "Whatever, asshole." He paused for a second. "Yeah... you're not sleeping on the floor."