Pure Souls (book 1) : Light Withering Away

I

Shelby's P.O.V

I lay awake in my tent. I just couldn't sleep. I was on my to see Ross again! I heard something outside. The fire crackling? I slowly unzipped the tent and peered out. Someone was by the fire. I crawled out and went over. Jess was wrapped in a blanket by the fire. I sat down next to her. She pulled me closer to her and gave me some blanket. "What are you doing out here?" I asked.

"Thinking..." Jess replied.

"About?"

"I dunno... I just... have you ever had a boyfriend or girlfriend?"

"I did, actually. His name was Ethan. It was a long time ago, his parents didn't like me. But we wouldn't stop hanging out. He moved away." It made me sad just thinking about it. "Did you?"

"N-no, my Dad would've gotten rid of anyone who showed intrest in me. He wanted me to be lonely. To suffer. My only friends were the kids of the castle workers, and even then, they never felt... real."

"Well, now you have real friends! You have family."

Jess looked at me, and in the orange light, I could see her lip was quivering. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around me, squeezing me in a hug. It was... nice. When she pulled away, I could see a hint of happiness in her eyes. That made me smile too. I giggled. Jess cocked her head at me. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"You're... n-nothing." I blushed. I was feeling something I never thought I would again. I was crushing on someone.

I woke up the next morning by the extinguished fire. I saw Lauren on a blanket over where the tents once were. The boys were finishing taking down the tents. Jess was still asleep next to me. My face flushed red. Did we sleep here together? "Oh, Shelby, you're awake!" Lauren came over. "We were going to wake you up, but we thought you and Jess looked too cute cuddling together."

"Y-you did?!" I exclaimed, jumping up.

"Mhm! And I ship it."

"I-I... um..."

"Could you wake her up? Once we're all packed up we're gonna keep going."

"Okay..."

Lauren walked back to her blanket and began folding it. I gently shook Jess, but she only stirred. I shook her harder. She moaned. "Mmn, just five more minutes..." she mumbled.

"Jess, we gotta get going," I said.

"No, I'm tired."

"Come on, please, you can rest later."

"Fine."

Jess slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. She stretched and yawned. "Shelby, why are you covered in dirt?" she asked.

"We... may or may not have slept out here together..."

Jess blushed. Her eyes lit up. She cleared her throat. She suddenly hugged me. "Thank you for the words you said to me last night," she whispered into my ear. "I..."

Jess pulled away, and her face was even more red than it was before. "What?" I asked.

Jess kissed me on the cheek.

I smiled. Did Jess like me? Well I mean she had to if she'd kissed me. Right? She was looking at the ground, shifting her balance from one foot to the other. I lifted her chin and kissed her on the lips. She began kissing back. We pulled away. "I... love y-you, Jess," I stuttered.

"I love you too, Shelby," Jess smiled.

"My ship..." Lauren whispered loudly. She was standing by us now, the boys with her. "...is sailing!"

"Guess this is the trip for romance, huh?" Max crossed his arms with a small smile.

I looked into Jess's beautiful brown eyes. "Yeah, I guess it is."