Wild Girl ✔️

chapter 17: hide

Rose

With a blanket wrapped around my shoulders and a mug of tea in between my palms, I stared up at the night sky and almost felt peaceful.

Almost.

It was barely eight o'clock and the sun was already long gone. The lights on every porch were off and I was surrounded by complete darkness, enough to make the stars seem a little brighter.

This had become my nightly routine: sitting on my porch once everyone else was tucked inside for the night, with no one to bother me about hidden secrets, sinful kisses or haunting flowers.

I felt completely and utterly alone. And it was only then that I began to feel at ease.

My mind wandered to my mother and what she would be doing now at home. The tense dinner conversations at our dining table were not a nightly routine I missed, neither were her judgemental stares or snide comments about Caleb's death.

But I did hope that she was coping in our house alone. Part of me knew my absence went unacknowledged.

The steaming tea in my mug sloshed around the edge, spilling onto my leg and burning my skin as my head shot up at the sound of a door slamming shut. My eyes followed the noise right to Sebastian's porch where he was standing, wearing only a towel around his waist.

Even in the darkness, I could see the hard set of his jawline and the anger, or was it sadness? on his face. His long hair was combed away from his forehead and I forced my eyes to not wander any lower. His body turned and his dark eyes locked on mine. I froze as he walked off his porch and began to head straight towards me.

I didn't plan on spending my night explaining why I had spent the past two weeks avoiding Sebastian and ducking behind trees every time I spotted him heading my way. So, I sat up quickly, the tea spilling out of the mug and burning my hands, as the distance between Sebastian and my porch lessened.

Just as he called my name, I slammed the door behind me and quickly shut the blinds. My eyes were wide in horror as I hid on the floor like a child, wrapping the blanket protectively around my shoulders.

Shit.

There was a knock on the door. "Rose?"

I winced as he called my name, my eyes scanning around the room frantically for a solution.

"Rose?" he called again, louder this time. The door knob began to jingle and my eyes widened in horror as I realized that Sebastian owns these cabins.

He has a spare key.

Even as the thought crossed my mind, I knew Sebastian would never invade my privacy by forcing his way inside.

I let out a shaky breath to calm my pounding heart.

I glanced back at the door quickly, making sure the blinds were drawn shut so there was no crack for him to see through —

The sink!

My head quickly snapped to the right as I remembered there was a window on the wall above the sink in the kitchen and the blinds were wide open. Slowly, I leaned forward off the wall and, sure enough, Sebastian's face was pressed into the glass as his eyes eagerly searched the room.

I slammed my back against the wall and brought my knees up to my chest before he spotted me.

Then, I laughed at how ridiculous this entire situation was. Why was I acting like a rogue ninja crawling across the floor like a scene from a bad spy movie?

I pondered getting up and simply walking to my bedroom without a glance back at the boy gazing in my window but my heart was beating too quickly. I didn't want to talk to Sebastian or feel the way my traitor heart sped up every time he was around.

So, I pulled my knees tighter to my chest and waited for him to finally leave. I don't know how long I sat there for, but eventually the knocks on the door faded and the distant sound of a door shutting broke the silence.

He had left.

Good, I tried to tell myself as Sebastian's absence felt anything but.

My knees cracked as I finally sat upright, quickly walking to the window and drawing the blinds shut. A feeling of exhaustion swept over me as my head swayed. I grabbed the counter's edge and shut my eyes for a minute. Turning on the faucet, I splashed cold water on my face.

How much longer could this go on for? I had planned to spend a month in this getaway, and my time was already up. Could I continue to live her while dodging Sebastian and feeling like a prisoner in my own home?

I shook my head to clear my mind. Moving to the wild had only managed to make my life more complicated than it already was.

And in that moment, I was overcome with the heavy need to return home. I missed my bedroom. I missed walking down Caleb's street and reminiscing on all the places we had kissed. I missed the memories, I missed my dead boyfriend and, most surprisingly, I missed my mother.

In the spur of the moment, I ran to my bedroom and grabbed the old leather luggage out of my closet that smelt faintly of wood and paint. Throwing it onto my bed, I began to pack up all of my clothing without bothering to fold anything. The photo of Caleb I left till last, gently wrapping it in a sweater and tucking it safely on the top.

It had been a mistake to move here, I realized. I couldn't mourn the loss of Caleb by hiding away and burying my emotions into someone else's body. I needed to go home — to surround myself with the familiarities of my old life and slowly, my heart would heal.

I couldn't hide anymore.

Slipping into my pyjamas, I tucked myself into bed, my packed luggage resting against my bedroom door.

Tomorrow, I would return home.

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hey guys! exams are over and my writing schedule is back to normal, YAY. anyways, do you guys think Rose will go through with retuning home or will something, or someone, stop her? lemme know! xo