Swell (Complete)

Chapter Twenty-Two (Part Two)

"My eyes roll back inside my head,
I bet you wonder what I see up there,
Envision a place where I feel like I am,
When I came back to, I said, I've been looking for heaven."

....

After lunch the trio started to explore the rocks around the lake and behind the waterfall.
Adora was enjoying Marti's awe of the scenery and she knew when Marti got home it was certain she'd go to sketch the landscape.
"Hey." Gus' low voice made her look away from Marti as she studied a mossy rock pool a few meters away. He was standing close by and Adora felt his hand gently touch her elbow.
"Hi." Adora smiled and felt her stomach churn as she looked at Gus' handsome smile.
"Remember summer here?" His hand moved to her waist and she felt her cheeks burn.
"Of course, but that was summer and its winter now."
"Only just, literally a day or two." Gus' arm was around the small of her back now and he moved so that their bodies were front to front and enclosed her in his arms.
She started to leaned back and wriggle from the embrace, but he moved his face closer and tightened his arms around her.
"Gus, I said no." Adora lifted her arms to his chest to push the kiss away.
"Why? It was fun." He didn't take his arms away from her back.
"I don't like you like that, and we both agreed it was summer only, and... I want Brett to know."
That made his lips leave her forehead and his arms drop. "Why? If you don't want it anymore, why do you want him to know?"
It was actually a good question, and the reality was that Adora had felt guilty over summer about their secret fling, and she felt guilty being with Gus under the waterfalls now, while Brett was stuck in hospital because of her.
No, not because of her, because some crazy person she didn't know believed Brett had been too close to her.
Was that what the cards had meant?
She swallowed a lump. "I feel guilty." She managed to whisper.
Gus smiled softly and tilted his head. "Don't." He pulled her back into his body and she felt his arms move up her back and a hand tangled in her hair as he pushed their faces together.
His lips locked onto hers and she groaned and pushed him hard.
"No." She shook her head and Gus stumbled backwards over a rock as she pushed more. His grasp broke and she turned around and walked away from the falls.
She saw Marti look up in the corner of her sight and held a hand up to signal. "I'm going for a walk alone. I'll be back." She called over her shoulder as she left the bottom of the waterfalls and stepped out of the picnic area into the bush.
She walked fast over the damp, leaf-covered ground. She watched the ground and overstepped tree roots as she walked.
It didn't take long before her steam dropped from her shoulders and she stopped.
Standing still, she realised she was trembling.
Flashbacks of Gus undressing her behind the falls made her squeeze her eyes.
She knelt down on the ground, the dirt immediately wetting her knees.
She had been so unsure that day, and she hadn't spoken to anyone for a full day the day after. In hindsight she wished she hadn't caved to his sweet whispers, but she had liked him so much, and he was kind and funny.
He was the prince in her summers when he'd come to visit, she had wanted to kiss him for so long.
Now when she saw him she felt guilt for leaving Brett out of the secret, for not telling him. Gus had convinced her he didn't need to know, that it wasn't hurting him.
Adora knew that was true, but she didn't do much without Brett until that summer, and now.
A shiver ran through her spine and she wrapped her arms around her body as she leaned her weight onto her calves and settled.
She was confused.
She knew there was nothing left for Gus; that had been clear to her the first night he had picked her up. She had told him no that night, and he had messaged and behaved today as if her no meant nothing.
She let out a shaky breath and opened her eyes. It wasn't Gus, it wasn't Tom...
Tom's intense face morphed into Will's whiskery smile and she felt her heart skip a beat.
She thought about the musical harmony that morning. He'd mumbled the backing vocals while she'd sung 'My Heart', he'd watched her as much as the music during 'Scarlet', she remembered the vulnerability the lyrics of 'Human Interaction' had made her feel before him.
Brett was the only other person she had shared that loneliness with; when they played in the band it was more fun than soulful, no less beautiful, but less heart wrenching.
It was Will.
She took a deep shuddering breath and put her hands over her face as she leaned forward.
How could it happen so fast?

"Adora?" Marti took another step into the greenery and looked around. She had seen Adora hurry off in this direction, but she didn't know how far in she felt safe going. Adora knew the forest, Marti had never even been to the picnic area before.
"Adora? Come on..." Her voice dropped. "I don't want to go following you in..." She took a few more steps in and felt the soft leaves sink under her feet.
She'd watched Gus try and make moves on Adora, and Adora push him away. They didn't know she'd been watching, and she was grateful for that, it had been an awkward interaction between the ex couple.
"Adora? Please come back..." Marti's voice was weakly calling into the forest for her friend. "I'm scared." Her heart felt heavy as she put a hand up onto a crumbling tree trunk. The bark fell off in her palms and she wiped her hand on her pants.
She heard footsteps ahead and her heart started to pound. "Adora?" Her voice was strained and high pitched. The last syllable of the name broke and Marti took a step back.
She froze on the spot as she heard the rustling come closer. She willed herself to turn back and follow the weak trail back to the picnic area, but she couldn't move.
She stared ahead as the sound got closer and closer. Her brows furrowed in panic and she could feel herself started to tremble.
"Adora?" The name was barely a breath and Marti was sure that her heart had stopped beating.
When the familiar figure came into view, Marti nearly collapsed with relief. She reached out for the closest tree and closed her eyes to refill her lungs.
"Marti?" Adora was by her side, a hand on her shoulder as she let out a shuddering breath.
"You scared the living daylights out of me." Marti looked up at her friend's worried face.
"I'm sorry. I just..." Adora looked away from Marti. "Needed some time alone."
"I saw what Gus did." Marti straightened up and took her hand off the tree.

Adora's eyes looked down to the ground and she let out a long breath. "I think he gets it now." She mumbled.
"He should have got it the first time." Marti gave her a small supportive smile.
"He should have, but so should have Tom." Adora chuckled a little and Marti nodded.
"True that. It must be a guy thing."
"Maybe. Let's go, I'm ready to go home and do the dreaded homework for this week's Macbeth act." Adora took the lead and Marti followed close beside her back to the picnic.

________

A/N

Another short and sweet last half of the chapter!

How are things heating up for everyone?