If I Stay

Chapter 16

"Owen." I said for the third time now since we started walking, which has been about ten minutes.

Finally, he looked over at me with an annoyed look on his face.

"What Audrey? What can be so important that you cannot seem to shut up?" He responded. He didn't just seem annoyed, but like he was frustrated over something else.

"Your squeezing the life out of my left hand, and we've passed this tree twice. Do you know where we're going?"

He loosened his grip on my fingers. "Of course I know where we're going. Why would I not?"

I gently pulled my hand out of his sweaty one.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you look like your lost? Just take me home." I said, completely ready to be away from him.

He stopped abruptly and looked over at me. Smirking, he said,

"You're not going home just yet. We're almost to where we need to be okay? Chill."

Trying to loosen the tension, he playfully pushed my shoulder and continued walking.

Me, I was trying to remember how to get back to his car and just how far it was from here.

~Twenty more minutes of walking in the awkward silence~

We stopped passing that tree, and I saw more of a clearer area as we walked. My legs were dying. My phone was still on 95% since I haven't used it, so I knew it was almost 9:00 pm.

Then when I looked up from my feet, there was a cabin.

It wasn't anything special. From the view I had, it was as ordinary as cabins can get actually.

But just as I started to turn away from it, Owen started walking towards it, taking a ring of keys out of his pocket.

"Audrey? This is it, c'mon." He said as he unlocked the door, me still standing about five feet away from the cabin itself.

I started to mess with my lanyard that my house key was on, getting nervous again.

"It's getting late, Owen. I think we should do this another time..." I trailed off, trying to get him away from the door.

He just shook his head like I was joking and grabbed my arm to pull me to the now open cabin doorway.

"Look, Audrey, nothing crazy. Just go in, sit down somewhere." He said as he shut the door behind him, me standing just inside of the doorway.

Despite the situation, I couldn't help but stare at my surroundings. The cabin was gorgeous. But also, a lot bigger in the inside than I thought.

The living room, where I was standing, had wood panel flooring. There was a large circular rug on the floor, on top of it three recliners and a loveseat, all burgundy. Attached was a kitchen with the same design as the living room. But when I stopped staring and realized where I was and trying to find Owen, he was coming down a staircase, which I hadn't seen.

"Beautiful isn't it? It was my parents."

I was shocked silent for a moment. Was? I saw his mother just last week at Wal-Mart.

Curiosity getting the best of me, I had to ask. "Was?"

He stopped smiling, a small frown coming over his face. Like he was thinking over his answer.

"Yes. Didn't you hear?" He said, smirking again. I no longer thought that smirk was cute anymore.

"H-hear what?" I stammered, really not liking the turn of conversation.

"They both passed yesterday. That's why I brought you out here." He said as he locked the door.

I turned around to face him, confused.

"Why did you bring me here exactly?"

He full on smiled as he placed his hands on my shoulders.

"I needed some company of course."

Company? I backed up a step so his hands slid off my shoulders.

"What do you mean company? How long do you think I'm staying?"

He walked away from me into the kitchen, but not before I heard him say something under his breath.

"As long as I want."

When he reached the sink, I unlocked the door quietly, and I ran.