The Unfortunate Story Of Us

The Retreat

Later that night, all of us went out on a hike. River had asked me to wait for him somewhere in the back because he had to run back and grab his jacket. The group started moving but I stayed close to the back walking slowly waiting for him to come. I started talking to a few people next to me when I felt a pair of hands around my waist.

"What the hell!" I yell as River burst into laughter. I hit his chest as he holds his stomach cracking up.

"You're hilarious when you're scared oh my god hahaha." He couldn't stop smiling.

"Shut up." I murmured as I linked his arm in mine.

We started walking and it was beautiful. The moon was glistening on the trees and snow glistened on the ground. The only downside, it was so slippery. Every few minutes River would slip and fall on the ground, then proceed to be "upset" when I couldn't stop giggling.

Eventually, we got to a part of the hike where we all stopped and took a second to admire nature. At that point, River reached down and grabbed my hand. That's the first moment I felt butterflies. That's the first moment I knew this was going to be something special.

As we started to walk back, I started to feel a little sick. Not nauseous sick, more like I'm getting a cold sick. I let River and my friends know that I was going back to the room for the night because I needed to sleep. They all said goodnight and River held me for a few minutes before letting me go.

I couldn't stop smiling.

The next day

I woke up with the worst head cold I have ever had. My throat was so scratchy, my head felt like it was going to explode, and I was incredibly stuffed up. On top of it all, I was losing my voice. Due to me being sick, I didn't eat much the next morning. River sat across from me and had noticed I wasn't eating. He reached over and rubbed my arm.

"You ok?" He quietly mouthed.

I nodded and gave a small smile, but he could tell I wasn't feeling well. He disappeared for a little bit, then then came back with a bag of cough drops for me. I smiled and mouthed thank you. He sat down and grabbed my hand again. His skin was soft, hands were warm. It was complete bliss.

That night, I couldn't sleep. Nausea, fevers, and sneezing had kept me awake. I decided to sent River a text.

"Hey..I know it's like 3 in the morning, but I couldn't stop thinking about you. I think you're really special. I felt something special when you held my hand all those times and how you keep going out of your way to make sure I'm ok. You're someone that I have instantly clicked with and I would really love to get to know you better..😊 you're sweet, funny, absolutely stunning (have I mentioned WOW). I could go on and on, but I'm just gonna say I'm super blessed to have met you. Have a good day tomorrow and I can't wait to see you"

Send.

The rest of the week went on the same way, except I kept getting worse every day. By the time Friday came, I had no voice. I was throwing up, I had the worst head cold, and I had no voice. It was miserable. I knew I had to go home. I stayed in bed when River had texted me.

RIVER🐢: Hey, are you still in bed? Do you need anything? Can I come see you??

OCTAVIA: Hey you, yeah I am. Umm maybe an orange or something? Yeah I'd love to see you.

Within 5 minutes I heard River calling my name. I ran out of my room into his arms. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close. I snuggled into his chest and listened to his heart beat. It was beating pretty fast by the way.

"Why is your heart beating so fast?" I asked quietly.
He blushed and put his hand in the crook on his neck.

"Well I'm with you, and I'm the best because I brought you oranges and tea." He handed me the fruit and I thanked him by giving him yet another hug.

"Hey, let me know if you need anything else, really." He said sternly but with the softest look on his face. I nodded and smiled. He smiled while biting his bottom lip and left.
Ahh yes River, you are a dream.

That night, I decided to go home. River came and held me for a few minutes before letting me go. As soon as I got home, I crawled into bed with every part of my body aching, but then my phone lit up.

RIVER🐢:
Hey beautiful, I hope you feel better. Thank you for the super sweet text. You're so sweet. I'd really love to see you again. Can't wait to see you soon..

That made me feel a lot better.